Angel
by Pandora Angel Alice
Summary: He was her angel. Her demonic, angel. IchiRuki; HitsuKarin. Based off of Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Previously named 'Tenshi'. AU
1. Prologue: Aka Tenshi

**Hello, its me, Tsuki Meroko Uchiha, with a new fic! Personally, I like this idea. I think I'll go far.**

**I don't own Bleach, it belongs to Kubo until he hands over the rights! **

**I also don't own the songs used in this.**

**This story is based loosely off the shows Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't own that, either.**

**Summary:  
**_**Rukia Kuchiki was the best Vampire Slayer in all of Japan.  
She was trained to be cold, heartless.  
Just like her victims.  
Who knew someone like her could fall in love?**_

**Pairing(s): IchiRuki, might be some IshiHime**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Takes place:  
Rukia's time line: 1944  
Ichiru's time line: 2009**

**Prologue**

**[Present day, July 5, 2009]**

"Goodnight, Ichiru-chan," A woman with black hair and honey-glazed amber eyes smiled at her daughter. She had a strip of hair fall down the middle of her face. "Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"No... Kaachan, I'm almost twelve. Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" The little girl scoffed, then grinned slightly, showing off some pretty impressive canines. Her mother mentally cringed, and smiled softly. "I guess so. Are you sure, though? I was planning on telling you a really good story... About Vampires and Demons, and..."

"Okay! Tell it, tell it!"

Ichiru Kurosaki had always enjoyed the supernatural. It intrigued her.

The woman, whose name is to be revealed as Luchia, remembered the words her mother had told her, passed on from her mother, and so forth.

_"My child, there is but one woman born every generation. The woman who will fight against all odds, and defeat the vampires, and demons that roam the Earth. She is the chosen savior. She is... The Slayer."_

Luchia, once again, smiled, but this time, bitterly. "Alright... It all started less than sixty five years ago... In a place called Karakura Town."

**[Karakura Town, December 9, 1944]**

_**If I just, breathe  
Let it fill the space between**_

"Miss me, boys?"

Rukia Kuchiki smirked as she quickly removed the wooden stake lodged in her victim's chest. It roared painfully, and turned to dust. She did the same with his partner.

Oh, how she hated using the stakes. She was horrible at close-range combat **(Which made her job hell, considering her target was always lunging forward to take a bite out of her)** Not to mention those things gave you blisters.

She preferred her gun.

The Kuchiki woman scowled, strapping the blood-covered stake of wood to her hip. "Stupid bastards," She growled, looking at the body of the dead girl a few yards away. Her blond hair was completely matted with blood, her dull, amber eyes wide with fear.

She looked no older than eighteen.

Only four years Rukia's junior.

_**I'll know everything is alright  
Breathe**_

It sickened Rukia how these creatures of the night could kill and not have any second thoughts or feelings. Even Rukia, the world's best Vampire and Demon slayer, held pity when carrying out her job.

Maybe it was just a human thing.

_**Every little piece of me  
You'll see**_

The twenty-two year old walked up to the dead girl, and sighed. It was such a pity.

The girl had a name tag, which read the name, "Hisaku Sonozaki". She had worked at Kaze, the club Rukia was now standing outside of.

"Its okay, Hisaku-chan." She said, almost comfortingly to the deceased girl. "I'll tell Yoruichi everything. You won't get blamed for this," She smiled a little, and walked back inside the night club. Rukia always felt as if any victim of the supernatural world deserved an explanation. She just couldn't give one all the time.

But this time, she could.

_**Everything is alright  
If I just breathe**_

Yoruichi Shihoin was the name of Rukia's employer.

Yoruichi had reported some untrustworthy characters hanging around her club, and after confirming they weren't anything of the... Human variety, she called in for some help.

Supernatural help.

Rukia's boss Urahara was close friends with Yoruichi, so of course he sent his best Slayer to complete the job. But being a Slayer didn't cover _all _the bills. Rukia had to make more money somehow. So she also worked as a singer at Yoruichi's club.

_**Well it's all so overrated  
In not saying how you feel  
So you end up watching chances fade**_

"Who was it? I heard the screams and a roar." Yoruichi asked grimly.

Rukia smiled sadly. "It was Hisaku." Yoruichi looked down, at her wine.

"Did you...?" Rukia nodded. "Yes. The Vampire are dead and I covered the bite marks." Yoruichi nodded in satisfaction. "Now what do we tell her parents... This is the difficult part..."

Rukia scoffed, taking a martini from a passing waiter. "For you, maybe," She took a sip, and grimaced. "What's wrong?" Yoruichi asked in confusion. Rukia put the glass down. "Ick. Strawberry martini."

Yoruichi shook her head. "I don't even know why I sell those, almost nobody buys them. I think they're good though," She shrugged. "He's my only customor that buys 'em here," She pointed to a man a few yards away from their table, with shockingly orange hair, and cold amber eyes.

Rukia shrugged.

**_And wondering what's real  
_****_And I Give you just a little time  
I, Wonder if you realize  
I've been waiting till I see it in your eyes_**

"He sure is cute." The Shihoin mused, walking behind the bar.

"Yeah, but you say that about every guy you see..." What was wrong with her? Rukia just couldn't stop staring at that man! And he sure did seem familiar.

"Orihime-chan's been staring at him all night," Yoruichi shrugged. "I think its love at first site!"

"Only you would believe that," The Kuchiki scoffed, and took a sip of the nasty martini.

Her gaze shifted from the man, to the busty auburn-haired woman singing her heart out on stage. And sure enough, Rukia's best friend, Orihime Inoue, was practically gawking at the orange haired man.

Rukia rolled her eyes.

_**If I just breathe  
Let it fill the space between  
I'll know everything is alright**_

Inoue started dancing to the beat, still looking at the man.

**_Breathe!_**

She grinned at the man with orange hair, but he barely noticed her. Instead, his focus was on the sassy raven across the club.

His eyes narrowed.

**_Every little piece of me  
You'll see  
Everything is alright  
If I just breathe  
Breathe...._**

Inoue finished, and bowed. "Thank you guys so much!" She chirped. Yoruichi was up on stage before Inoue could make a fool out of herself... Again.

"Yes, yes! That was miss Inoue Orihime singing **Breathe**!" She smiled, and continued. "Now, please welcome, Rukia Kuchiki!"

Rukia was up on stage in less than two seconds.

She nodded to Inoue, who smiled back. "I'll talk to you later," Inoue whispered, jumping off the stage.

The pianist turned in his seat and asked, "Which song, miss?"

Rukia bit her lip thoughtfully. "**White houses**, Vanessa Carlton." He nodded, and started playing. Rukia took a deep breath.

**_Crashed on the floor when I moved in  
This little bunk alone with some strange new friends  
Stay up too late, and I'm too thin_**

Her eyes were blank, unreadable. When Rukia sang, it was like the world didn't exist.

Everything was peaceful.

There were no Vampires or Demons to Slay, everyone lived in perfect harmony. There were no wars, no famine, no poverty.

Everything felt _right_.

_**We promise each other it's til the end  
Now we're spinning empty bottles  
It's the five of us  
With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust**_

The story of her life.

Before Urahara and Yoruichi found her, Rukia was just your average fifteen year old girl. She had five friends, Tatsuki, Momo, Rangiku, Inoue, and a boy named Ishida. She also had her brother, Byakuya. But he was her only family, really.

Then, one day, they disappeared. Rukia had woken up one morning, to find her brother gone, the house a wreck, and blood everywhere. The same thing had happened with Tatsuki, Momo, and Rangiku. Ishida had moved away to Osaka by that time, so he was safe. Inoue and Rukia were the only ones left.

That's where Yoruichi and Urahara came in.

_**I can't resist the day  
No, I can't resist the day  
Jenny screams out and it's no pose  
'Cause when she dances she goes and goes**_

They had met the two girls on accident, really. Rukia had come to the Police Department to report what happened, and Urahara was there, too. He had worked as an officer at the time. After the report, he had told her that this was most likely the work of a Vampire, or at least an Ookami Akuma, or Demon Wolf.

Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Vampire? Demons?

Yeah, right!

She didn't believe it. Until the next night, that is.

**_Beer through the nose on an inside joke  
I'm so excited, I haven't spoken  
And she's so pretty, and she's so sure  
Maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her  
The summer's all in bloom  
The summer is ending soon_**

She and Inoue had been walking home from school, when they were jumped. No, not by some random mugger or murderer, but a wolf. An actual wolf, with silver fur that looked tainted with blood. It had no eyes, just vicious black holes.

It was gruesome.

_**It's alright and it's nice not to be so alone  
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses  
Maybe I'm a little bit over my head  
I come undone at the things he said  
And he's so funny in his bright red shirt  
We were all in love and we all got hurt**_

Then, by some miracle, they were saved.

Courtosy of a Mr. Urahara Kisuke and Miss Yoruichi Shihoin. They were retired Slayers, and after deep consideration, decided Rukia would be trained to become one. They tested Inoue, but decided she would be a better healer than fighter.

They both worked during the day as singers.

**_I sneak into his car's black leather seat  
_****_The smell of gasoline in the summer heat  
Boy, we're going way too fast It's all too sweet to last  
It's alright And I put myself in his hands  
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses_**

Now, here she was, six and a half years later. Rukia was now known as one of the most prestigious Demon Slayers Japan has ever known.

Of course, not many people knew about her.

**_Love, or something ignites in my veins  
And I pray it never fades in... white houses_**

The crowd erupted into a series of cheers as she lifted the microphone. Everyone was clapping, except...

Rukia raised a brow. That one, orange-haired man was gone. How weird...

She shrugged it off.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Later that night]**

Rukia smiled as Inoue took out the white board, where all their missions were written down.

"Okay... Which one was it?"

"The Vampire Case, Kaze." Rukia answered, pointing to a text written on the board. "That one," She sighed. "Tonight was_ too _easy, they were wearing these seventeenth century-type clothes, I didn't have to look hard. But... I came too late."

"Who'd you lose?" Inoue asked quietly, she knew this was a sensitive case for Rukia.

"Hisaku." She answered grimly. Rukia almost _never_ lost anyone, but once in a blue moon, there was that one casualty.

"Man..." Inoue breathed. "She was so young..."

"I know."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Meanwhile at Kamiko Hotel]**

"I saw her." The same man from Kaze stated stoically.

"_Her_?" Senna asked angrily, standing up from her position on the couch.

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "The Vampire Slayer, baka." He paused. "She's looking for us, no doubt."

Sakura, a demon, bounced into the room. "Did she recognize you?!" She asked nervously.

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't think so," He cleared his throat, "But she did look a little confused when she first saw me."

Karin, Ichigo's only living... Well, not _exactly_ living, sister huffed. "She was probably wondering why someone like _you _was in a night club. Your hair is one loud color, and, let's face it, you're not exactly the partying type." She scoffed.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Stuff it, Karin."

The dark haired girl merely shrugged and turned back to the television.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Rukia laughed as the not-so powerful Hellhound disappeared into nothing. This was just practice for her, really. But she had never seen these hellhounds around Karakura. "Inoue?" She asked her friend, who was skimming her big, gray eyes across a book.

"Ah! Here it is! Hellhounds, a foot soldier for demon lords higher up, bred during Mahkash Wars."

She skimmed the next line, and cringed. "It says here, they were trained and bred only for killing. They went straight for the neck, and as a prize, they fed on the brains of their foes." She looked up.

"Ew."

Rukia shrugged, nonchalant. "All that matters is _that one_," She pointed at the abandoned jewel from the hellhound's collar, "Is gone." She put her gun, which Urahara had FINALLY fixed, back into its holdster.

Rukia loved using the thing, really, but holding it just made her nervous.

"A foot soldier?" Rukia finally asked, confused.

"Yeah, why?" Inoue asked, tilting her head to the side. "You think something bigger's goin' on?"

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. This seer I used to know... Azmaria, or something... Her master used to train hellhounds. That's how I got this," She pointed to an ugly scar on her neck, "And I know for a fact helhounds don't attack unless ordered. They aren't feral beasts; They've attacked and served humans, Demons, and Vampires alike."

Rukia picked up the small, blood red jewel. "And this just might tell us who sent them."

**00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00**

"Oi, Sakura-san," Karin asked the older girl across from her. "Where's that damned hellhound you sent?"

The brown-haired fifteen year old girl across the table scowled at her 'friend'. "I don't know, I- Ah!" She gasped, clutching her wrist, where a small bejewled braclet lay. It glowed a furious red.

Karin scoffed. "Sakura-baka! You're stupid hound got vanquished!" She said coldly, "I can't believe it! Some stupid human got to you! You're so _weak_!" She grabbed Sakura's wrists.

The demon girl gasped in pain. "Stuff it, Karin! I'm _not_ weak, we just underestimated the human girl!" Karin clamped a pale hand over the Demon's mouth.

Sakura was actually a Brachen demon, a species that can appear human. She was a half-breed, her mother was a demon, her father, human. The Kurosaki siblings, Ichigo and Karin, had found and protected her from a few Scourge Demons, who were pure bred and trained to kill every last half-bred demon in the world, some even going as far as working with and for Slayers.

"Shut _up _Sakura! If Ichigo hears you, we're _both _dead." Poor choice of words. "Or... Uh, I didn't mean..." She shook her head. "Never mind! What matters is that if Ichi-nii finds us trying to kill the Slayer, he'll mame us." Sakura shook away from the dark haired Kurosaki.

"Why?" She sputtered.

"...Because, he wants to kill her himself." She sighed heavily, and started walking towards the basement. "I'm gonna go see Senna. See what's in store for us."

-_-_-_-_

"Senna-san?" Karin called as she walked into the dark, humid, and uncomfortable room. How Senna could live like this was beyond her.

Senna stopped her conjuring and smiled a little creepily at Karin. "Oh! Hello, Karin-chan!" She chirped happily.

Karin's eye twitched. Senna knew she hated that nickname.

Senna was an Oracle who could look into the future. These oracles were rare. Most of them were like Seers, who only saw the past, or something that was happening right then and there.

"What did you need?" Senna asked sweetly, and it sickened Karin.

"I need you to see what's going to happen. How do we get this chick, the supposed "Chosen One"? Who is she even?" Karin asked desperately; She wanted to help her big brother.

Senna walked to her cauldron, which was basically her 'Crystal Ball'.

"I don't know who she is, but I do know we'll find out eventually. She lives here in Karakura, and as I can see," She paused, "She has suffered a great deal. I see lost spirits, lost friendships." Then, she gasped involuntarily.

"Senna? What is it?"

Senna took in a shaky breath. "I-I don't know, I just felt, a sharp jolt, like my heart just shattered. Something will happen to Ichigo, nothing terrible, rest assured, but... Something."

Karin didn't like her comrade's answer.

She walked out of the bleak room.

**00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00**

"Nothing..." A woman with dark, black hair said gloomily. She put down the crimson jewel. "Sorry, Ruru, I can't get a reading."

This woman's name was Mitsuki. Mitsuki Kuchiki, older sister to Rukia's brother, Byakuya.

Rukia's birth sister Hisana had married Byakuya, and thus, having to get the name Kuchiki.

After their parent's divorce when they were nine, Mitsuki had gone with her mother to Hisakumori, a small village, where as Byakuya was raised by his father in Karakura. It was there, in Hisakumori, where Mitsuki discovered the truth about the supernatural.

And the fact she was the descendent of a Slayer.

She had learned of this as her mother lay on her deathbed, when Mitsuki was only thirteen.

Mitsuki's mom was one third Slayer, one third Demon, and one third human. She had told Mitsuki to go to Karakura Town, and find Byakuya, saying her would help her. And Mitsuki did go, twelve years after her mother died.

But Byakuya was already dead.

It was in Karakura where Mitsuki found Rukia, and took her in, after finding out who she was and that she was also a Slayer of Vampyr, or Vampires. And Mitsuki trained her, just like her mother trained her, eventually passing her on to a retired Slayer and friend to Urahara, Yoruichi, and Mitsuki.

His name was Mr. Ukitake Jyuushiro.

Mitsuki was also known as the "Silver Phantom" by most of the underworld because of her trademark silver highlights, and her swift but soft-spoken attitude on the field.

"Its alright, Nee-chan. We'll try again tonight." Mitsuki nodded. "Okay. Oh, and by the way, Rukia, don't you have a show, like... Now?" She asked quizzically.

Rukia looked at the sun dial next to the podium Mitsuki stood at; It was a quarter to nine. "Oh shit!" She cursed, and sped out.

Mitsuki laughed.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"Sorry I'm late, I-"

"It's alright sweetie," A waitress, Daisuki said, patting the other girl on the head. "Inoue-san is still singing," The brown haired girl smiled happily and pointed at Inoue, who was, in fact, still singing.

**_"I will survive..." _**Inoue smiled, and bowed. "Now, I would like to welcome my best friend, and the best singer Kaze has to offer, Rukia Kuchiki!" Rukia hid a blush as she ran up the steps. It was then she saw Inoue staring at something... Correction, _someone_.

It was that man from the other day. The one with orange hair.

Rukia didn't know why, but she felt a bit peeved her best friend was _still _looking at the man. But why would Rukia care? She didn't even know him!

"Okay, bye Inoue," She laughed sweetly, pushing the Inoue girl off the stage. As she strode up, she recieved whoots and catcalls. She wasn't surprised, though. Rukia was a modest person, no doubt, but she couldn't help but admit she looked _good_. She wore a stunning, blood-red cocktail dress, and matching red lipstick.

She felt like she was on top of the world.

Yoruichi introduced the song.

"_When they cry_, originally sung by Katakiri Rekka!"

**_Being able to laugh with everyone right in the middle of the classroom  
That's more precious than anything to me_**

Rukia couldn't stop staring at the man. He seemed to feel the same way, he couldn't tear his eyes away from _her_.

Or maybe she was just imagining things.

**_And the trivial moment warms  
My heart; I'd like it if such times_**

Her hand unconsciously slid to her hip, where her gun holster lay, hidden by her dress. Something about this guy gave her chills.

And why the hell did he look so damn familiar?!

**_Continue forever and ever…but-_**

_"His name is Ichigo Kurosaki."_

The orange haired man regarded Rukia coldly.

**_I know that tranquility is fragile  
_****_I knew the color of lies that lurk within the common days_**

_"He's a rare case, indeed. He's a Vampire, with a soul."_

A Vampire with a soul. It _was_ a rare case.

**_For the sake of happiness, how far should I endeavor?  
I merely want to hope for_**

Yoruichi looked between the two, a knot in her stomach. It was a case Rukia had gotten about four years back; Codename: Tenshi.

According to his records, Ichigo had been around for centuries, and was born in the feudal era of Japan. His mother had died when he was nine.

Then, one night, when he was sixteen, a Vampire who went by the name Gin made Ichigo and his sister Karin one of his own, ordering them to kill Yuzu and Isshin, their sister and father.

Eventually, they accepted, and Karin killed Yuzu.

Ichigo, ever reluctant, took care of his father.

**_Tedious and ordinary days_**

It was then they learned Ichigo still had his soul.

That made him an outcast by most of the underworld, and loved by most of his mentors, saying that with this, they could deceive even the purest heart.

They were wrong. Ichigo had a pure heart, and wouldn't kill unless needed.

**_Everyone, who is laughing, steadily becomes blurry  
I want to embrace them again; just with that, it's good enough_**

Unfortunately for Ichigo, he was needed a lot.

**_Until I help out the ordinary days  
I won't ever cry again  
I won't give up, I won't be crushed…but-_**

She _had_ met him once, but neither of them knew.

He didn't know she wanted to kill him.

She didn't know he was her target.

They were in the park, and she just happened to sit at the same park bench he was at.

**_I won't stop; I'll fill up this world of mine  
Their voices fill up my head, unstoppable_**

Then, they had met again.

But this time, instead of being friendly strangers, they were enemies, trained killers, cold-hearted and vicious. She had had him, too, her gun pressed against his scarred and muscular chest.

She could faintly remember his last words to her--

_"You... Girl," _

_She scoffed, "I have a name, you know." _

_He smirked. "Sorry... Kuchiki-san. You have absolutely no idea what it feels like to do the things I've done in my lifetime... And actually care,"_

_She smirked, it was almost a sad smile. "...Don't I?"_

**_For the sake of happiness, how far should I try?  
I believe that I can certainly_**

After that, Karin had stepped in. There was a flash of light, and then...

Rukia couldn't remember anything.

**_Recover it very soon, even alone by myself_**

She had still remembered her assignment, just never the fact she had met the Kurosaki sblings.

**_Even if I become unable to move about, even if I won't be forgiven  
I want to believe that I can certainly_**

_And she still doesn't, _Yoruichi thought, smiling ruefully.

**_Recover it very soon, when the cicadas cry_**

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Rukia jumped off stage, and grabbed the sake Michiru, a passing waitress held out. "Good job, Rukia!" She cheered her friend, and sashayed away.

Rukia took a sip of the drink, the alcohol warming her insides.

She never noticed the dark figure coming for her.

"Hello, Miss Kuchiki, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

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**_OK! How do you guys like it?!_**

**_I kinda based this off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, so if you're a fan of those shows, and something seems familiar, don't be surprised._**

**_Oh, and the whole 'Luchia' thing, if you've read about the interview with Tite Kubo and Rukia's name, you should get it. And, for those of you wondering why I didn't spell it 'Lucia', I just like spelling it Luchia, or as I call it, the Mermaid Melody way. In MM, there's a character called Lucia, who spells her name differently all the time. One day, its Lucia. The next, Luchia. And one time, it was spelled Ruchia/Rucia! Insane, I tell you. Insane..._**

**_And you'll see why I didn't use Ichigo's whole family in... More or less two chapters._**

**_Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!_**

**_--Tsuki_**


	2. Crimson Nights, Black Moon

**Tenshi Chapter 2**

**I don't own anything used in this fic but my OC's and the plot.**

**I also don't own the lyrics/song (I'm Just) Here for the Music! by Paula Abdul.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Crimson Night, Black Moon**

_"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki."_

Ichigo... Kurosaki?

Rukia nodded in understanding. "Is there something I can help you with?"

**_Spinnin' to this sound  
Like a record going round  
Must be the music_**

"No." He answered stiffly. Like he was nervous or something. "I just wanted to say, you have a beautiful singing voice."

_These bastards just don't get it. Flattery will get them no where. _Rukia scoffed inwardly. She had been in these situations before; Some stupid man would come up and make her blush, well, at the most a light rose color adorning her cheeks, and then try to get her back to his place.

Rukia was just too smart.

**_We could be making out  
But all I really want right now  
Is just the music  
I'm only here to dance_**

Rukia blocked out Masazuki, another singer's voice, and smiled sweetly.

"Why, thank you, Kurosaki-kun!" She said, her voice sickeningly sugary. She batted her eyes at him, her big, liquid blue eyes dancing with the perfect innocence.

Ichigo wasn't buying it. He knew who she was; Rukia Kuchiki. Trained to kill. She wasn't some damsel in distress, or a perfect little angel sent from Heaven above. No, she was Rukia Kuchiki. She was a Slayer, trained to kill, the best of the best.

"How about I buy you a drink?" Ichigo wasn't used to this, flirting. He wasn't made immortal to pick up girls, or to lead a normal life. He had been granted immortality to kill, to lure innocent beings into the life of the Supernatural.

Rukia dropped her schoolgirl act. "I hope you're not flirting with me."

Ichigo couldn't hide his disgust. "You wish, midget."

She smirked, but her eyes held impatience. "I'm not a midget, I'm just..."

"Vertically challenged?" He guessed.

"Exactly!" She said, her smirk falling into a frown. Her eyes held their usual impatience, but this time, their was a hint of another emotion in her violet-blue orbs.

Amusement.

She was challenging him.

**_I'm just here for the music  
I really didn't mean to turn you on (on)_**

"So... You want that drink or not?"

She looked at him, regarding him with a playful smirk. "Sure."

He ordered a strawberry martini for himself, and sake for Rukia

**_Boy you know I like the way you move it_**

Michiru, the waitress, nodded, and winked slyly at Rukia. "Nice work, sweetie. He's hot..." She gazed at Ichigo a bit longingly, "If you didn't already call dibs, he would be _mine_." She whispered hungrily, biting her lip as she kept staring at the Kurosaki man.

Rukia blushed.

"I don't like him, Michi! If anyone called dibs, its Inoue."

Michiru scowled. "You mean _Whore_ihime? You're actually giving _him _up to that bimbo?" She looked back at Ichigo.

"Don't call her that!" Rukia whispered sharply. Everyone knew Michiru hated Orihime, and everyone knew why. Even Rukia was a little bit peeved at her friend for this.

Inoue flirted with every guy she saw, even if it was unintentional. That was the only reasonable explanation Rukia had for why she was so angry at Orihime for noticing Ichigo.

"You know it's true," Michiru said, handing Rukia her sake, and giving Ichigo his martini.

"I'll see you later, kay, hun?" Michiru winked, and Rukia smiled slightly. Michiru Hanazaki was two years Rukia's senior, and was also a trained Slayer. She had been one of the first people to train Rukia, and had been like the older sister Rukia had always missed.

Hisana never used to be around, and Mitsuki...

Well, Mitsuki wasn't really an older-sister figure. She was more of a younger sister, always needing to be looked after. However, she had her moments. In a time of crisis, she was always there, ready to beat the crap out of anybody that looked at her funny.

"Sake, huh? I'm surprised." Rukia admitted, sipping the drink that warmed her insides, and slowly calmed her pounding head.

"Why?"

"When a guy buys me a drink, they usually say that this stuff is 'too strong' for me, and get me champagne or something. I can't get relaxed with some weak drink like the champagne they serve here." She shrugged, and drank another shot.

"Well, I admit, you aren't like any other girl I've ever met."

She smiled "I sup-"

"Rukia!" Orihime yelled, cutting her friend off. "Staff meeting."

Rukia blinked. Now? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? I'm sure Yoruichi-"

"No. Urahara's holding _this one_." Rukia's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh." She turned.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo-san. I have to go. Thanks for the drink, though!" She yelled, running out the door.

Ichigo stared after her.

**_I'm just here for the music  
Music  
Music  
I really didn't mean to turn you on  
Music (music)  
Music  
So if you wanna wait for me  
I'm gonna need someone to take me home!_**

The music faded away as Rukia and Orihime ran outside.

"Mind telling me what you were doing talking to that guy back there?" Orihime asked, her voice dripping with jealousy.

Rukia looked at her friend. "He complimented me on my singing, and offered to buy me a drink, is all." Rukia said, sounding a little offended. Since when did Orihime Inoue, bitch extraordinaire, need to know why she was talking to a sexy guy?

Back up... Did she just think... _Sexy?_

Rukia Kuchiki did _not_ think guys were sexy. She did have dates, crushes, and... Experience, but never did she think guys were sexy. Hot, yes. Cute, yes. Sexy just went a bit _too _far. But, no matter how much she denied the fact, she did indeed think the orange-haired man sitting in Kaze was beyond sexy.

And apparently, so did Orihime.

Said Inoue woman glared lightly at her friend before looking forward. "Sure he did, Rukia. It's another one of those hellhounds. I'm sure you can handle it."

Rukia glared at her friend for being so harsh. She didn't even know the man's name! So why should she get jealous? "I'm sure I can." They were at the site in less than two minutes.

Sagashite Lake and Cemetery.

Rukia had already drawn her gun with her right hand and her left was twitching towards her dagger, for she had forgotten the stake at home. Not that she minded, anyways. And then, without warning, a hellhound, as dark as midnight, lunged from the bushes.

A hellhound had the physical outline of a wolf, and sounded like one, too. Depending on it's master, it's either good or evil. Depending on if it's good or evil, they have either bluish-white or dark red flames protruding from their back and tail.

This one was dark red.

Rukia cried out as she lunged forward, trying to get a better view of her target. The hellhound stood it's ground, and when Rukia got close enough, it attacked.

"Rukia!" Orihime cried out in panic, forgetting their previous fight as her friend was thrown onto the ground with so much force, a sickening _crack _was clearly audible. The hellhound jumped away from the scene in a burst of flames.

"R-Rukia?" Orihime called out fearfully. Her response was a groan. Well, at least she was okay.

Orihime quickly turned to the nearest pay phone **(REMEMBER, PEOPLE!!! THIS IS THE 1940'S!! CELLPHONES DID NOT YET EXIST!!)**and proceeded to call Kaze.

"Helloooo?" A slurred voice on the other end spoke.

"Michiru?" Orihime asked, venom dripping from her voice. "Are you drunk again?"

"A-Ah! Yu-yup! Now, what can ah do for ya, 'Hime-chiiiiiii!!??" Damn, how many sake's did she have after they left?

"Get Mitsuki, Yoruichi, Urahara, anyone! Rukia's been hurt!"

"Oh, shut the hell _up_, Inoue. R-Ru-kia's a tough one, she'll be alright. Ahaha...."

"Seriously! Michiru, please." Orihime pleaded. There was a rather large wound on Rukia's head, and blood was rapidly pouring out. She needed help, fast.

"Fine. Mi-Mitsu! Get over here! Kia-chii's been hurt real bad!" She giggled as the phone was ripped from her hands. "Orihime-san?"

"Yes!"

"You guys are at... Sagashite? Mission #048153299?" Orihime nodded, even though she knew Mitsuki couldn't see it. "Yes, we are!"

"Alright, I'll be there in five." The line went dead, and Orihime sighed doubtfully, moving to Rukia, doing her best to stop the bleeding. "Please be okay... Please be okay..."

Rukia didn't move.

-----------

**[Present Day; 2009]**

"Did she ever wake up?!" Ichiru asked, biting her lip in worry.

Luchia laughed softly at her daughter's expression. "If you'd let me finish the story, you'd know."

Ichiru stayed quiet.

------------

**[Karakura Town, January of 1944]**

**(Dream/Flashback)**

_Nine year old Rukia's eyes widened as her father shook his head, glaring at her. "I'm sorry it's had to come to this." Hisana quietly sobbed in a corner, bruises covering her fair skin. "P-Please, no more." She whimpered, like the beating she had just recieved was still going on. "I-I promise... I'll b-be a good g-girl! J-Just, please, stop it!" Her eyes were wide with fright, and she was shaking._

_"D-Daddy, please. I said I'm sorry! I can't help it; I see things, and when people are in trouble, I have to tell them! Its not like I can just stand around and watch them... Die." Her throat was dry as her father unbuckled his belt. "Oh, no..." Rukia's mother whispered, looking at her daughter, her eyes pleading for forgivness. She was next to Hisana, cradling the hystarical girl. "Shhhh..."_

_Rukia, ignoring her mother, made a break for her room. She closed the door, trying to block out her mother's soothing words, her sister's sobbing, and her father's nearing footsteps. "Open the door Rukia." She gulped as she realized her father was right outside her door. "Someone... Anyone, help me..." She prayed, and hoped someone would hear her._

_But it was useless._

_"Ah-!" Rukia gasped as the door swung open, and her father grabbed her by the neck, dragging her into the living room. "I'm sorry, Hikaru. But I have to do this. She's obviously been possesed. Beating the demon out of her is the only way." _

_Rukia whimpered under her father's iron-tight grip. "Mom... Help..." Hikaru looked down, wondering what she should do._

_Kaitou threw Rukia aside, into the bathroom, and proceeded to kick, punch, and whip her with his belt._

_Hikaru only held Hisana closer, tears dropping onto the hardwood floor._

**(End Dream)**

Rukia's eyes shot open, and she was breathing heavily. "Not again..." She groaned, wincing at the sharp pain in her side. "Ah, finally awake, I see." Rukia smiled at the warm voice. "Michiru-san."

The young woman smiled, sticking her tongue out childishly. "Yep! I wouldn't move around too much if I were you; That hellhound knocked you up pretty badly," Michiru scolded lightly, smiling, although the worry was evident in her forest green orbs.

"Don't remind me," Rukia replied coldly. She almost never lost. What had happened to make her focus slip so much?

_"Yeah, sure, Rukia."_

Oh, right. Orihime and her bitch-fit.

Where was Orihime, anyway?

"Where's Orihime?"

"Inoue?" Michiru said thoughtfully. "Hmmm... I think she was leaving for Yoruichi's, last I checked." Rukia nodded, and smiled slightly.

She would sort everything out later.

-------

Mitsuki broke out of her trance from Urahara's clapping hands. "Oi! Are you listening, Kuchiki?"

"Ah- Y-yeah! Sorry, Kisuke, I'm just a bit..." She trailed off, looking at the wanted poster in her hands. "Distracted, I guess," She sighed painfully."Do I really have to do this mission? I mean, what about everyone else... They-"

"Sorry, Mitsuki." Urahara said, "All the other Slayers are on other missions. Michiru's too low a rank to complete this assignment, and Rukia's injured. You're the only one that's left."

Mitsuki looked back at the flyer, the man on the front was someone she knew all too well. Hitsugaya Toshiro. Vampire.

She had met him when she was about twelve, and he had been her best friend in Hisakumori. She had seen his blood red eyes on numerous occasions, and had accepted the fact he was not of her world. Then, one night, they were walking in the forest outside of their little village.

Mitsuki was almost eighteen. She had accidentally led him to a cemetery, abandoned in the late 1700's. It was a surprise that the place was still there, with all the graves spotless. Then again, in a town like Hisakumori, almost everything is still standing. The house Mitsuki and her mother had lived in was well over 250 years old.

Mitsuki had stupidly suggested that they check it out, and he reluctantly agreed. They had crossed the grave of one girl, who had died at the age of fifteen, in 1608. A one Momo Hinamori.

She could remember the night clearly.

**Flashback**

_"Look at this one, Shiro! Momo... Hinamori?"_

_She didn't notice him visibly stiffen at the name._

_"Hmm... She was only fifteen when she died. I wonder how?" Mitsuki, always oblivious, didn't notice Toshiro's violent shaking. "Mitsuki, I think it's time we go..."_

_"What?! No way! I'm still..."_

_"Let's GO, I said!" Toshiro growled, his normally calm, icy blue eyes transforming into the wild, crimson eyes of a monster, of a Vampire. His hand was up, almost as if he was meaning to hit her. It was iches away from her face. Mitsuki gasped, and the familiar playfulness in her stormy gray eyes turned into pure fear. "A-Alright..." She gulped, and reluctantly followed him, wincing as he gripped her wrist too tight._

_The Toshiro she once knew, was gone._

_Two days later, Mitsuki visited him at his apartment. "S-Shiro?" She called, letting herself in. She had a key to his place for god knows how long. "Oi! Toshiro-kun!" She wandered around his place for a while, deciding to check his living room. She knew he was home; candles were lit, and food was hot on the table, along with a goblet of animal blood. He had to be home._

_She passed through the kitchen door, only to have it shut close on her. She was trappred in complete darkness._

_"Toshiro?" She called his name once, twice, three times. "Shiro! Oi!"_

_"What are you doing here, Mitsuki?" It was his voice, but at the same time... It wasn't. It was raspy, dark. It sounded more like a growl from a wild tiger than a person._

_And in that instant, Mitsuki knew._

_She didn't even have any idea what she was doing here. __All she knew was she needed to get out of there, and fast._

_"Mitsuki, I..."_

_"Don't. Talk." She growled, trying to act tough, fighting back the tears. She didn't want to hear his voice. Not after he snapped at her, not after he had nearly killed her. "Please, just shut up!" She screamed, her voice echoing throughout the empty, dark room. "Please."_

_The man behind her, despite his somewhat happy tone, wasn't amused. He was behind her in three quick strides, and she gasped as his hand grabbed her wrist. It was cold, so cold. So unlike Shiro. His grip was iron-tight as she struggled to free herself. "P-Please! Let me go! I promise, I'll never come back again, just let me go!"_

_He didn't pay attention. Instead, he lifted he wrist, and bit through her flesh, drawing blood into his waiting mouth. It was sweet against his lips, and he briefly wondered if this was what it would taste like if he were kissing her. Some of the crimson liquid escaped his lips, and cascaded down his chin. His eyes were hazy with bloodlust. Her blood was intoxicating. The animal blood could only stop his hunger from growing. It could never really replace the velvety feel of human blood against his pale lips._

_It had been so long since he last tasted it._

_His last human victim had been his now deseaced lover. Momo Hinamori._

_She was feeling lightheaded. She knew how much blood Vampires could drink in thirty seconds. She had to pull away, or she would die. "HITSUGAYA!"_

_His eyes widened, and he released her. Never before had she called him by his surname, it was always Toshiro or Shiro-chan or something like that. She... Calling him Hitsugaya with such pain, such heart-wrenching pain... It broke his heart._

_...Or, it would have, if he had one._

_"Mitsuki... I-"_

_She didn't hear the rest. She was already running, away from him. Away from his apartment, away from everything. She ran to the safety of Tokyo, ready to start a new life, and later on, find her family._

**_"Toshiro... After kaasan died, you were my only family. My best friend. Who... _What_ have you become?" _**

"Mitsuki?" Urahara called gently, seeing his friend's blank expression. "Are you alright?"

She looked back at the flyer, Toshiro's souless blue eyes staring back at her. Mocking her. "Yes." She answered simply. "Where was this murder taken place?"

Urahara looked at her now dull gray eyes, and said, "Hazamira street."

---------------------------

"I'm sorry!" Orihime cried, hugging Rukia tightly, careful not to touch her wound. "I never should have gotten mad at you! Its all my fault! Please forgive me!"

Rukia hugged her friend back, and nodded, smiling. "Of course. Now, could you please get off?"

"Oh, sorry!" Orihime apologized, smiling sheepishly.

They laughed.

-----------------------------

**There you have it!**

******Something I didn't mention last chap: There will be HitsuKarin, a dark, onesided HitsuOC, and some traces of HitsuHina.**

**Oh, and I'll have you guys know, I have the plot OUTLINE in my head, I just don't have it typed out. Not to mention, its summer vacation! Updates might come later than expected.**

**I'll try to get the next chap up before Thursday, though!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	3. Nobody's Home

**I don't own Bleach. If you haven't figured that out by now, you need some serious help.**

**I also don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, either!**

**P.S. The lyrics for the first song are from Nobody's Home by Avril Lavigne! I luv her music!**

**So, Without any further ado, here it is! **

**Tenshi, chapter 3.**

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**Nobody's Home**

_The music blasted from within the club, and outside, Rukia Kuchiki stared in shock at her partner._

_Correction, **ex**-partner. "Kaien... Stop it, please. Stop." She was crying, her amethyst eyes shining with despair. "Come on, Kaien. Don't you **dare **do this to me! I... I love you! Please! Wake up! KAIEN!"_

**_I couldn't tell you why she felt that way,  
She felt it everyday.  
And I couldn't help her,  
I just watched her make the same mistakes again._**

_Said Slayer opened his eyes weakly. "I know you do. And I'm sorry." He grinned, showing off incredibly sharp fangs. "Kill me, now. Either way, I am going to die. If I become a Vampire, I will be hunted. If you kill me now, I could avoid the pain. Could you... at least, have me leave this world with a soul?" He was almost pleading._

_He had been bitten by a very unusual kind of Vampire... The Turok-Han. A monster even among Vampires. It didn't seem to want to kill Kaien, instead, it madehim into one of it's own. It was lying, dead, a few feet away, a bullet hole from Rukia's gun in the back of it's head._

_**What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.  
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside.**_

_"No... I could never..." She sobbed but took out her gun nontheless. They both knew it would end this way. She wanted it to end as quickly as possible. She pressed the barrel of the gun to his chest, right above his heart, and fired._

_"Miyako... I'm coming for you... Rukia, thank you. Miyako once told me... Never to die alone. She passed her heart to me, and now, I pass both of ours to you." He whispered, thinking of his deceased wife, who had lost her life to Scourge Demons years before._

_"KAIEN!!"_

**_Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.  
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you left behind.  
Be strong, be strong now.  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs._**

_"Rukia. Your new partner is Inoue Orihime. Her old partner, Ulquiorra Schiffer, has been killed."_

_It had only been four months since she had killed Kaien. Rukia didn't think she could handle a new partner so soon. Then again, it was Orihime, Rukia'sbest friend since third grade. She could definately help Rukia. And Rukia could help her._

_Rukianodded, putting on a fake smile for Yoruichi. "All right."_

**_She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside._**

_"Rukia! Watch it! Ugh, these Haxil Beasts are fast!" Orihime gasped as said demon sped past her. "Rukia!"_

_"I know! I got it," Rukia yelped as she lunged forward, and stabbed the Haxilon it's forehead. It fell to the ground, dead. "There." She huffed, sheathing her knife._

_"Whoa..." Orihime gaped. Then, she glared at Rukia. "You idiot! Just what the heck were you thinking?! Are you **trying**to join Kaien-san?!" _

_Rukia's hands turned into fists. Orihime knew she loved Kaien, and she still tried her best to remind Rukia day in and day out that Kaien Shiba would never come back. __Then again, Rukia wasn't the only Slayer to fall in love with a partner. Orihime had committed the same offence, falling in love with Ulquiorra._

**_Her feelings she hides.  
Her dreams she can't find.  
She's losing her mind.  
She's fallen behind_**

_Rukia regarded Orihime coldly. "Inoue. Shut **up.**" She growled out her comrade's name, and scowled. "I know I almost killed myself. But I also knew that it would be like this the minute I became a Slayer." She glared harder at Orihime, then proceeded to walk back to Kaze._

_"Just mind your own business, Inoue." Rukia didn't look back._

**_She can't find her place.  
She's losing her faith.  
She's fallen from grace.  
She's all over the place.  
Yeah,oh_**

_"I thought you and Inoue-san were friends," Yoruichi said, surprised. It had only been two weeks, and Rukia had already asked if she could work solitary missions for the rest of her days as a Slayer. Yoruichi was, to say the least, shocked._

_Rukia smiled. "We are, don't get me wrong, but to be honest, she just slows me down. Orihime is a great friend, but I seriously don't think being a Slayer is good for her. She's way too nice, she would rather **heal** a Vampire than kill it." _

_She sighed. "Maybe you could consider sending her to Unohana-san's to learn how to be a medic. God knows we need more. There are over one hundred and fifty Slayers living in Tokyo and Karakura all together, and only four medics supporting them all."_

_**She wants to go home, but nobodie's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside.**_

_"And Inoue-san is fine with this arrangement?" Yoruichi questioned, eyebrows raised._

_Rukia nodded. "Yes, she's the one who recommended it!" Amethyst eyes shifted from Yoruichi's amber gaze, to Orihime, who sat patiently, outside of the room. She was smiling at Rukia. Yes, Orihime did want this. She hated being a Slayer, and she wasn't even good at it._

_"Alright then. Orihime Inoue, you are hereby no longer one of the Slayers. As of now, you are going to be taught under Unohana Retsu, Captain of the fourth division. You will still work with Kuchiki, although not as a Slayer. You shall work as a healer here in Karakura after six months of training with Unohana." The fourth division was a hospital in Tokyo for Slayers to be treated for any supernatural injuries._

_**She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah  
She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah**_

**End Flashback**

"Kurosaki-san?" Rukia asked in shock.

"R-Rukia." Ichigo said, forgetting the use of honorifics. "Please, call me Ichigo. Wh-What are you doing here?" They were at Karosora, an old river that had been running for.. like... Ever. An old cemetery was located a few miles away from the rushing water. She was, for some reason, running, and he just happened to run into her.

Now, here they were, him straddling her, knees on both sides of her hips, hands flat on the ground next to her shoulders.

"Uh- I'm visiting." Rukia said, a bit unnerved by the man on top of her. He looked so... Different. Not _evil_, or bad, so to speak, but... He wasn't the kind of guy you would see helping out at local pet shelters. His face was pale, and his eyes were emotionless, aside from the slight shock of running into her here.

Ichigo stared in shock at the woman under him. Why was she at Karo? Then, her words struck him. She was probably visiting a grave. "Oh, I see." He said after a moment of silence. Rukia was blushing madly, and even Ichigo had a slight blush.

"Uh... Mind getting off?" Rukia asked, her blush not once fading.

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, sorry."

They got up, quickly untangling their intertwined legs. "Thanks."

"No problem," He responded quietly.

It was a short conversation. Simple words, no real meanings. They talked mindlessly for what seemed like hours, but in reality only a few minutes. They talked about their daily lives. Ichigo was apperantly a doctor who worked at Karakura general.

_What_ a story.

They parted ways, and Ichigo thought of something as he looked at her retreating back. _That's four times now that I've seen that girl; I wonder if I'll see her again after today. _His focus turned back to her, and he smiled as she disappeared from his view.

_I will. After all, she could help me find the Chosen Slayer._

---------------------------------------

**Present Day, July 14, 2009**

Ichiru closed her eyes in frustration, closing the book in her hands tiredly. After her mother had told her the first part of the story, Ichiru had gone to Osaka's Library, to do some research on Karakura Town. She couldn't find anything.

"Is something wrong?" A sweet voice asked kindly. Ichiru looked up, her crystal blue eyes being met with two stormy gray ones. "No... It's just... Do you know anything about a place called Karakura? My name's Ichiru." Ichiru smiled.

The girl's eyes brightened instantly. "Oh, nice to meet you! And, yes. I do. My name is Mi-" She hesitated. "Misuzu. Misuzu Kusuki." She smiled brightly. "Karakura was, as I'm sure you already know, abandoned as a ghost town about thirty years ago."

"I knew. But why?" 'Misuzu's' smile fell. "After... A certain incident, it never rained there, and Karosora, the town's main landmark, dried completely. As such, people stopped visiting, and others moved out. The town eventually became one of the poorest places in Western Japan, and because of that, everyone moved out completely."

_Well... Not everyone. _Misuzu thought darkly. She scowled lightly, and her gray eyes held an emotion similar to Ichiru's mother's eyes whenever she got upset.

"What incident?" The young girl suddenly asked, curious.

"I don't know."

She was lying through her teeth.

---------------------------------------------------------

**[January of 1944]**

_**"La lumière qui sèche la pluie persistante, et l'obscurité qui éclipse des rêves résident dans une fille. La fille qui sauvera notre monde. Le tueur."**_

"The light which dries the persistent rain, and the darkness which eclipses dreams reside in a girl. The girl who will save our world. The Slayer."

_**"Elle combattra les créatures de l'obscurité, et protège notre terre précieuse."**_

"She will fight the creatures of darkness, and protect our precious Earth."

_**"Elle sera connue comme lune blanche, parce que elle accordera la lumière au minuit le plus foncé."**_

"She will be known as The White Moon, for she will grant light in the darkest midnight."

**_"Le tueur."_**

"The Slayer."

"Your French is improving, Rukia-chan." Michiru smiled at her blushing friend. **_"Merci!" _**Rukia smiled wider, and she spoke in a close to perfect accent. Then again, close only counted in horshoes.

"Just work on your 'r's." Kiyone, a Slayer-in-training chirped in a thick accent. She had been shadowing Michiru, to see how everything in Karakura HQ worked. She had arrived in Japan, after living out the first twenty years of her life in Lille, France.

"Oh, thanks, Kiyone." Rukia smiled. Rukia knew many different languages, English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Dutch, Portugese, even Latin. The only problem was no one could really understand her, she had a horrible accent, especially in French.

"Why don't we work on Latin next? Kiyone needs to brush up on her Japanese, too."

Rukia groaned softly. "Fine... I don't understand why, though. Latin's a dead language. **_"Lux lucis quod assus pertinax pluvia, quod obscurum quod eclipses somnium sedeo in a puella. Puella quisnam mos servo nostrum universitas. Trucido."_**

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"What are you thinking about, Kurosaki-san?" Sakura asked Ichigo one morning. He had been acting pretty distant lately.

...Well, at least more than usual.

"Tomorrow is... January 16, am I correct?" His voice was empty, hollow. Not at all like the arrogant 'I-know-everything' voice of Ichigo. Sakura nodded. "Yeah, so?"

He shook his head. "Nothing... It's just... It's going to be snowing tomorrow." He whispered the last part, his brown eyes hazy with an emotion that greatly resembled guilt.

Sakura tilted her head to the left. "What are you talking about Ich? It's sunny out! Okay, yeah, sure it's been kinda chilly lately, but it's not going to _snow_." She offered him one of her goofy smiles. "Cheer up, kay?" She giggled and skipped out of the room. Now, Sakura was smart, but she acted way too much like a kid.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hitsugaya Toshirou stared in shock at the obviously furious woman before him. Seven years. He hadn't seen her in seven years.

Mitsuki stared at the Vampire before her, fury burning in her gray eyes. Seven years had hardly changed him.

He still had that shockingly silver hair, those cold, but still warm blue eyes, and the perma-frown that made Toshirou cute and intimidating at the same time. He was just taller. He was dressed differently, too. Instead of the usual black tee shirt and khaki pants he used to wear, he was clad in a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, and a brown leather jacket. He looked about twenty six, now.

"Hitsugaya-san." Her voice was firm, cold. Bitter. "You are under arrest for the murder of Kasaki Amaru." Her voice cracked slightly, but she was stiff, her face passive. But her eyes... Toshiroucould see right into those stormy depths. She was torn inside. She didn't know weather to kill him or hug him... Or do her job and actually arrest him.

He smiled sadly at her. "Am I?" He walked up to her confidently, and the hand which held her pistol shook uncontrolably. "H-Hey! Get back, I'm warning you!" Tears were forming in her eyes. His hand lifted, and he softly jerked away the pistol. "I'm sorry, Mitsuki."

Her eyes hardened. "I'm sure you are, bastard." She growled, but let her weapon go. "Go to hell." She whispered, voice cracking.

"I really wish I could." He sounded apologetic, and then, her world went black.

She screamed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**OMG!!!!!!!!!! Cliffhanger! But don't worry, Mitsuki doesn't technically die... Yet. And it's so short, too. The next chp will be longer, tho!**

**Anyways, I'm not sure if the translations are correct, I got them from .**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-TMU**


	4. Was Never Meant To

**I don't own Bleach. If you haven't figured that out by now, you need some serious help.**

**I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, either!**

**I don't own anything except for my OC's and the idea.**

**Tenshi, chapter 4.**

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**I Won't Say She's in Love!**

Karin grabbed her keys off the counter. It was almost midnight; He was sure to be home.

"Karin-chan?" A small voice squeaked. Karin turned swiftly, and her eyes locked with Sakura's. "Yeah, what is it?" Karin asked coldly. It wasn't that she didn't like Sakura, no, she loved the girl like a sister. It was just... Sakura acted way too much like Karin's dead twin, Yuzu.

"Is something wrong with Ichigo?" Sakura asked quizzically, tilting her head to the side. God, she even talked like Yuzu!

"What's today?" Karin sighed. Sakura furrowed her brows. "Um... January fifteenth," Sakura said. "Why? What happened on this day?" She sounded almost desperate.

Karin looked at the clock. It was eleven fifty five. "It's not today, but tomorrow. The sixteenth. He... Died, on that day, so to speak." Sakura still didn't get it. "What do you mean? He's very much... Oh. You mean the day he became... Supernatural." She tried to keep it as sensitive as possible.

Karin nodded, a grim look on her face. She sighed. "Yes. It's also the day he killed his first human. Our father, Isshin Kurosaki. Did he tell you it would snow tomorrow?"

Sakura nodded, "He did. Why would he say that? It's highly improbable."

Karin looked outside blankly, the first flakes of snow finally falling. "Because... It always snows on this day."

It was midnight.

-------------------------

"Toshirou!" Karin gasped as she embraced the white-haired Vampire.

"How long has it been, thirty, forty years?" She asked as he hugged her tighter.

"Fifty." He responded quietly.

"Where's the Slayer?" She asked eagerly as he let her go. He smiled bitterly at her reaction. Is this what he sounded like? Is this really what his kind sounded like? He had only just recently realized how bloodthirsty and evil he sounded at the mention of human blood, but Karin was like that, too?

"She's downstairs. And remember Karin, I'm only doing this because I promised you once I caught her, you could convert her. No killing tonight." He reminded, his voice calm, but laced with worry. Karin had ruined many a good conversions by getting carried away with the pleasure of mortal blood. She couldn't do that tonight. He couldn't afford the screw up. After all, it wasn't every day you caught a Slayer. Kill one, and the rest of them would be coming in stampedes, ready to kill the first Vampire they laid eyes on.

They descended the wooden steps, and as they reached the final, creaky step, Karin smirked.

Mitsuki was a mess. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were wide with fright and a bit of insanity. "H-Hitsu-? Where's Michiru?" Miichiru had been her partner for this case. She was planning on moving up a rank, thus moving in on a higher rank mission. They had been scoping out different areas of the park when Mitsuki spotted Toshirou. Her voice shook with fear as she flinched under his pitying gaze that just screamed, "I'm sorry".

Karin shook her head. "So this is the famous Silver Phantom that everybody was so afraid of?" She scoffed, referring to her peers back in the underworld.

"Don't be surprised, she's very strong in hand-to-hand combat." Hitsugaya cut in, discreetly trying to defend the Slayer. "And she knows her way around a gun."

"Really?" She sounded intregued. Was this girl really that strong? Karin wasted no time lunging forward, her fangs sinking through the flesh of Mitsuki's neck. "Hitsugaya!" Karin yelped, and started draining the young Slayer of her blood. Her deep gray eyes suddenly felt extremely heavy.

**_"Decumbo nox noctis. Barba illa lacuna , audite meus vox , quod crux crucis ut ceterus pars. Permissum vestri cruor adficio , quod may is exsisto restituo per eternus poena. Fio , Lamia. _**Hitsugaya chanted in Latin, and watched as Mitsuki slumped forward, eyes barely open.

He gasped. "Karin, stop! It's enough!" He pulled Karin off Mitsuki, the Vampire's fangs bared.

"But-" Karin started, but Hitsugaya quickly cut her off. "No." He said firmly. "Stop. Don't. Kill. Her." He let go of his comrade, and turned to Mitsuki. "Mitsuki?"

Red eyes snapped open, full of blood lust.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[With Ichigo]**

**Ichigo's POV**

I can remember that day clearly... It was just as haunting as the day my mother died. Gin... Gin Ichimaru was his name, made us, Karin and I, into monsters. Into Vampires. It was snowing... Karin, Yuzu and I were riding our horses, and somehow got lost. Our father, Isshin, was the only doctor in the town of Rukongai. He was one of the richer residents of the village, so my family practically lived like royalty.

I can remember that day all to well...

_"Ichi-nii! Hurry up, or else I'm gonna leave without ya!" Yuzu shouted impatiently. It was a blisteringly cold winter day, and she had wanted to get to the lake as quickly as possible, thinking that it had frozen over already. She loved skating on the ice, nothing but thin white socks shielding her feet._

_"Don't do that!" I called back, annoyed. She didn't know her way around the forest half as well as Karin and I did, and would most certainly get lost, ready to be picked up by some creep wandering the woods, or be killed by the gray wolves that usually patrolled the surrounding area._

_"Then **hurry**!" She whined. I sighed. Yuzu was usually so grown up. What happened?_

_She laughed a little, then ran, farther into the forest. "Yuzu!" Karin called, and started running, too. "Karin, Yuzu!" I called after my sisters, and sprinted after them._

_I found myself about a mile away from the lake, and I looked around. My blood ran cold. Yuzu lay unmoving on the ground, her eyes frozen in fright. She wasn't breathing. Karin, however, looked disturbingly calm. Almost like she was sleeping. I looked up, and growled at the man before me._

_Gin Ichimaru._

_Ichimaru was one of the only rich men in Rukongai, making even more than my father. He was a merchant, who sold things such as silk and jewelry._

_"What the hell did you do to them?!"_

_He smiled sickly. "Oh, nothing, really. Karin just killed the sandy-haired one. Don't worry, though, I didn't put much of a strain on the conversion. She'll make it."_

_The rest of it was just one big blur. I yelled, he remained calm, that sickly smile still plastered on his face. And then, out of nowhere, he lunged forward. I felt a stinging in my neck, and then, everything went dark. __When I awoke, my vision was blurred, and Karin was a few feet away, wide awake._

**_Flashback Over_**

I never knew that the second I woke up, my destiny was sealed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Three Days Later...**

**_"I remember, the stormy weather, the way the sky looks when it's cold..."_**

"What got you so depressed?" Orihime giggled, as she bounded inside the apartment she shared with Rukia.

Rukia sighed. "Nothing, really. Mitsuki-nee still hasn't come back, though. Good thing is, I don't have to take the language sessions. Bad thing is, she was gonna teach me how to use the saintrix!" The saintrix was a high powered machine gun, especially designed for the extermination of Demons, especially Scourge. Rukia grouchily put her guitar down.

Orihime laughed. "I'm sure she'll be back by tomorrow. Don't worry." As soon as the words left her mouth, the phone on the table nearest to the couch rang. "Hello?" Orihime answered with a smile.

_"Hey, Inoue. It's Urahara. Can you put Rukia on?"_

Orihime looked at her ebony-haired friend. "Of course. Rukia, it's Kisuke-san."

Rukia, confused, took the phone. "Urahara?"

_"Hello, Rukia-chan! I have bad news, good news, and more bad news. The good news is, we've located Michiru-san! She's somewhere in Eastern Karakura. The bad news is, we can't seem to actually... Find her. She is, for some reason, being hunted by Turok-Han. And then the other bad news is Mitsuki-chan is in a coma."_

"WHAT?!" Rukia screeched. Mitsuki was in a fucking _coma_? She _never_ went into a coma. Sure, she had been knocked out cold a few times on missions, but never a _coma_!

_"Uh... Yes, Rukia-chan. So, I need you and Inoue-san to go and look for Michiru-san, and bring her back safely."_

Rukia, still a bit shaken up, nodded weakly. "Alright..." And then, she hung up. She looked at Orihime.

"Looks like we've got a mission."

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Michiru!" Orihime called lazily. She had that 'Why-the-hell-am-I-here-when-I-don't-even-like-this-person' look again.

Rukia glared at her. "At least pretend like you care, Orihime."

Orihime shrugged. "Hey, be grateful I'm actually _looking_. I could be at home right now, thinking up new red bean paste recipies." She smiled. "That remindes me, I've got some chicken defrosting back at home. Can we pick up some chocolate syrup on our way back?"

Rukia mentally cringed, but nodded nonetheless. Looks like our favorite Kuchiki Slayer was going to miss out on dinner... Again.

"Michiru!" Rukia called out loudly, then sighed. "We're never gonna find..." She was cut off by a loud shriek.

"Michiru!" Orihime and Rukia yelled in unison, Rukia out of worry, Orihime out of complete shock. The Kuchiki woman at Orihime's side quickly took out a saintrix.

"You took a _saintrix_!?" Orihime asked incredulously as Rukia loaded the gun.

"It's Mitsuki's. I thought... Ya know, maybe she wouldn't mind!" Rukia smiled sheepishly at her friend as they kept running.

"But you don't even know how to use... Oh! There!" Orihime cried suddenly, pointing to a gruesome-looking creature, who was bent over a bloody body that could only be described as the remains of Michiru Hanazaki. The creature looked up, and Rukia immediatly recognized it as a Turok-Han. She lifted the gun in her hands, and fired.

After it was dead, Rukia looked at Michiru's body.

"Rukia...?" Orihime asked nervously, looking at her friend. Said Slayer's eyes were wide, and her bottom lip was quivering. She mouthed some incoherant words, and then fell to her knees, staring blankly ahead. Only three words escaped her lips.

"Oh. My. _God_..."

And then, she cried.

It was Kaien's death all over again.

Rukia _still_ wasn't strong enough to protect her friends.

She wasn't strong enough.

---------------------------------------------

By the time Rukia and Orihime got back to Kaze, Rukia had recovered from her mini-meltdown.

"Rukia, oh my god, are you alright?" Mitsuki asked as she appeared from an open door. Rukia nodded weakly, and took in her sister's appearence. "You're up? Kisuke told us you were in a coma!" Orihime giggled.

Mitsuki laughed sheepishly. "No way! You know Kisuke-kun, he always over exaggerates. Now, what's the matter with her?" She pointed at Rukia.

"Ah, just a little shaken up." Orihime spoke softly, and grinned sheepishly. Rukia was silent, before she spoke to Mitsuki.

"Are you okay? You look... Pale." Her voice was weak, and she noted Mitsuki's ghostly white complexion. Mitsuki had always been a little pale, but it was always a healthy snow-white colour. Not this sickly shade she was donning now.

Orihime turned her attention back to the veteran Slayer in front of her. "Oh... You really do. Are you sick or something?"

"Huh? Oh, no no! Of course not! Well... Its probably nothing serious. Maybe just a cold or a mild case of the flu... Haha..." Mitsuki shook her head wildly, and grinned, making Rukia notice something.

Her canines... One was longer and sharper, more fang-like than the other. Amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. "Right... Well, goodbye Mitsuki, we have to go report to Yoruichi-san and Urahara." Rukia cleared her throat, and sped past her sister in law.

"W-Wait! Rukia!" Orihime cried at being left behind, quickly running after her friend.

Mitsuki watched them leave with cold eyes.

_How could I be so careless? Rukia's one of the most observant people I know, she'll figure it out eventually._ Mitsuki sighed, and looked outside. _I guess I should look at the bright side. At least I'm not full. Toshirou stopped Karin just in time._

_But... Why me?_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"R-Rukia!" Orihime whined, catching up with the ebony-haired Slayer. "What's with you?!"

Rukia sighed. "Nothing... It's just," She looked at Orihime, and smiled, almost sadly. "Never mind."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Present Day, July 15, 2009**

"Ichiru, what's that?" Luchia asked her daughter curiously.

Ichiru looked up with a smile. "A really nice woman named Misuzu gave it to me! I told her I wanted to know about Karakura Town, so she gave this to me!" She held up the old, torn book.

Luchia's smile faltered. "Misuzu? Misuzu who?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**January 14, 1944**

"Happy birthday, Rukia!" Orihime cherred as she held out a cupcake. It actually looked... Normal. "I know you're not big on the whole 'Happy Birthday' thing, but I have to celebrate it in one way or another. So make a wish!"

Rukia stared at Orihime blankly. "I wish we all don't die in a blazing inferno. There. Now, goodbye."

Orihime pouted. "Don't say it out loud, dummy! Now it won't come true!" She sighed. "Rukia. I'm your friend. Isn't it my job to make sure you're not sad on your birthday?"

"Well it's kind of late for that don't you think?" Rukia snapped. "I lost _another one_. I mean, first Kaien, then Hisaku, now Michiru? I'm cursed!"

Orihime looked at her friend sympathetically. "Is that what this is all about? Kaien?"

"Just... Just stay out of it, Orihime..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mitsuki looked at her reflection in her vanity mirror. _Thank God, I can still see my reflection. Yoruichi would definatly ask if she walked into my room and found me without a reflection._ She laughed to herself, and picked at her new fang. "Damn this is annoying..."

"You'll get used to it."

Mitsuki whirled around, and scowled. "Hitsugaya. You may be my new master, but that dosen't mean I have to like you." She glared at him for a few seconds, "...Or kill you, for that matter. I'm still human. Half, but still human. And if I'm human, I'm still technically a Slayer, which means I can kill you." She smiled in satisfaction. She knew she couldn't get away from her new 'Master', but she still had to get in the final word.

"No. You can't and we both know it. Mitsuki, you and I are bound by blood. Just like Karin and I. Like Rangiku, too."

She sighed, and sat down. "I know that. It's just one big game for you, isn't it? Karin's your mistress, just like Matsumoto, neh?" Matsumoto was Hitsugaya's first servent, his first victim. Karin was his second. Originally, she was bound to Gin, but Hitsugaya had helped her escape, then he made her one of his own. That was another rule. Any servent who drank mortal blood would add another servent for their master.

"Why me, though?" Mitsuki asked, her voice cracking slightly.

He knew. She knew he knew. But he still decided to play dumb. "Some things are just meant to happen."

And as he left, jumping out her window, she smiled bitterly, letting the tears she had kept in for nearly seven years slip through. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and whispered...

"It just wasn't meant to happen like this."

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**I'm sorry, but I had to end it here. I know, crappy ending, but my computer's been glitching lately. Hopefully I can get it fixed in a month's time, but just know it will be a while before the next update!**

**I'm so sorry, everyone!! But don't worry, I'm not giving this fic up just yet!**

**Please, review so I have something to look forward to!**

**--TMU (Again, I'm so sorry!)**


	5. The Dream Angel

**I don't own Bleach. If you haven't figured that out by now, you need some serious help.**

**I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, either!**

**I don't own anything except for my OC's and the idea.**

**Tenshi, chapter 5.**

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**Yume Tenshi**

_Dream_

_(Mitsuki's POV)_

_"Please, don't leave."_

_I hear my self whisper. I feel myself shake, and I can see the salty tears drip down onto the hard, blood-stained concrete. The Vampire half of me is begging for me to bend down and finish this weakling off, but my human half is saying, 'She is your friend. Don't kill the poor girl!'_

_I shake my head, shaking away my inhuman thoughts, and look down at the dying girl. I know her... But her face is blocked by the light. Who is she? She sighs, and in a way, it's like music to my ears. She's finally going to be released from her suffering. Death. Her** true** escape._

_"Just... Just take the child and run." She whispers, and hands me a small bundle. The little baby in my arms giggles and stares at me with huge, innocent, honey-brown eyes. My eyes widen, although I can't understand why. I'm just **there**. I don't understand what's happening. I am in no control of my actions._

_"She's..." She's what?_

_''Yes. She's **his** child. But please, don't do anything to him."_

_I don't understand. What would I do? Who is this guy? I'm confused, but nod nonetheless. "Of course." _

_I spot about ten Turok-Hans advancing towards us. They're no less than twenty yards away. I audibly gasp, and try to pull the woman at my feet up. _

_God... She... She's really bleeding a lot. I lick my lips, then bite the inside of my cheek, drawing my own blood. I... I can't kill her. I can't kill her off. I have only once killed a human due to my desires, and It was the most horrible thing I've ever done._

_...Well, I've only killed in this dream world. This soon-to-be future._

_"Leave me," She says, and I let go of her arm, setting her back down gently. "What?" I ask, incredulous. "Why?" She smiles ruefully at me. _

_"I'm going to die if I stay here. I'll also die if I go with you. I'll just end up slowing you down. Just go, go knowing I leave this world with only one regret... And that's have my daughter grow up without her mother." She draws in a shaky breath. "GO!"_

_Without thinking, I jump up, and start sprinting away. I hear a shriek of pain, and I know the Hans got to her. A second after the shriek, I hear unbearable moans of pain. I blink back tears, and hold the child in my arms closer to me. She's sleeping, and I wonder... how can she be so calm? I look around me. Karakura Town is in ruins. Corpses and trash litter the once beautifully paved streets. The skies are not there normal calming blue. Now, they are red, blood red. The type of red that unleashes all of your memories into your mind with full force._

_I almost scream as a hand shoots out from an alley, and grabs my arm. "Wha?" I start to say as I'm pulled head-first into the dark alley. I look up and see a disheveled looking Hitsugaya, and I feel a smile grace my lips. Don't I hate him? Why am I smiling? He's unshaven, his eyes are bloodshot, and his left arm is bleeding profusely. I feel the faint feeling of bloodlust hit me like a bullet train. I shake the feeling away, happy he's okay._

_Why is that?_

_"Hitsugaya. You're safe." I feel my smile fall into a worried frown. "What's the matter?"_

_His voice is hoarse. "Matsumoto. She's dead." _

_I feel myself gasp. "A-Are you sure? Where's Karin?"_

_"She's safe. She's in Kyoto right now. And I'm sorry for doing this, but you have to survive. No one will kill the baby, I'm sure of it. She'll be safe." He whispers into my ear, and I feel a pressure on my neck. Everything starts to spin..._

_(End Mitsuki's POV)_

Mitsuki shot up, sweat dripping from her forehead. She was in her room, and judging by the old grandfather clock pushed up against the wall, it was almost dawn. She just sat there for a few minutes, analyzing her dream. Karakura in ruins... Corpses everywhere and Demons running amok, a soon-to-be-dead woman haunting her dreams, and a baby that could end up dead.

She sighed.

"This is never a good sign."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia Kuchiki stared blankly at the man in front of her. Thrice in one month... Who would have thought? Some would have called it fate. Others would have called it weird.

"Well, Kurosaki-san,"

"Ichigo." He corrected, staring at the short-haired woman.

"Ichigo," She said again. It sounded so much better than Kurosaki. "What are you doing in a place like this? I'm starting to think that you've been following me, seeing how we've bumped into each other three times now." She giggled.

_Four, actually, _he muttered inwardly, smiling playfully at her. "_No,_ I'm not _following _you, I always come here." They were at a grassy field called Amasuki that over looked the ocean. Ichigo's mother was buried somewhere here, he just didn't know where because the grave marker was lost over nine hundred years before.

"You do?" She asked in disbelief. She had come across this field about two years prior, thinking it was an ideal training spot. He nodded. "Yeah... it's... calming."

"Yeah... I guess it is..." She mumbled blankly.

She let her eyes drift from the setting sun to the orange-haired man next to her. He was so... Different. But... A good diferent. He wasn't like any of the other stuck up, arrogant, haughty, wannabe tough guys she ran into at Kaze. No, Ichigo Kurosaki was mellow... The kind of man you could trust. The kind of man you got good vibes from. The kind of man that you'd want to be with for the rest of your life.

...Wait. _What_?

Where did _that_ come from?

He was staring at her. She could feel it. "Hey... I know this is kinda sudden... but... can we, you know, talk more? Later, I mean?"

Did he just ask her out? Like on a _date_?

She just stared blankly at him, digesting the information. The moments turned into minutes, and Ichigo finally said, "If you want to, that is!" Time stretched on. Until, at last, she whispered, "Meet you at Kaze at ten. Kay?" She looked at him expectantly.

He nodded, a smile stretching across his features. "Okay. Ten. See you there."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Kaze, 10:25 PM]**

Rukia furrowed her brows in anger. So far, the night had been terrible. Ichigo hadn't shown up yet, Orihime was working on stage all night so she had no one to talk to, and some sleazy drunk was trying to get her to dance with him.

"Come on babe, just one dance?" He slurred, and Rukia rolled her eyes.

"For the last time, _no,_ you bastard!" She snapped, turning swiftly. "I suggest you leave before my boyfriend gets here, or else he'll kick your ass." She glared at the drunken man who obviously didn't get the picture she was trying to paint him.

"Oh, come on sweetie. What does that loser have that I don't?"

_-_-_-_

"I suggest you leave before my boyfriend gets here, or else he'll kick your ass."

Ichigo smirked. _Boyfriend, huh?_

"Oh, come on sweetie. What does that loser have that I don't?" The orange haired man glared at the greasy drunk who was trying to flirt with Rukia. Note the word _trying_.

He saw her bite her lip in mock thought. "Oh, I don't know. A brain, perhaps?" He almost laughed out loud at that point. _Well, I guess it's time to save her. _He started making his way through the crowd, only to be stopped by a beaming Inoue Orihime. "Hello! Your name is Ichigo Kurosaki, right?"

He stopped, and nodded slowly. This was a little creepy... _Why_ was she staring at him like that? "Yes. It is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to-" He tried stepping around her, but she quickly blocked his path again. She kept smiling, her eyes holding just an ounce of impatience. "No, no, please. This will only take a minute."

_-_-_-_

Rukia couldn't take it. She couldn't take this man's drunken slurs for another second. "Okay, I've had enough!" She growled and stood up, kneeing the standing man in the groin. He grunted in pain as she walked away, huffing in anger. She heard Yoruichi laugh and praise her from behind the bar, but paid no mind to it.

She immediatly caught sight of an over-talkative Inoue Orihime and an obviously uncomfortable Kurosaki Ichigo. She smirked, knowing that Ichigo would probably never get away if she didn't step in. She quietly walked up, putting a hand on Orihime's shoulder. The auburn-headed girl whirled around, a slight glare in her eyes when she saw Rukia. "Oh... Hi, Rukia."

"Hello, Orihime," She smiled expectantly. "I see you've met Ichigo. Ich, you're late." She glared at him, but there was playfulness in those violet orbs. He smirked at her, his eyes screaming 'thank-you-I-couldn't-handle-this-woman-for-another-second'.

Orihime, now, did nothing to hide the killer glare she was sending Rukia right now. "You two are here... Together? Like on a date?"

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. And... Orihime, don't you have a show?" The auburn-haired woman smiled disturbingly. "As a matter of fact, I do. It was nice to meet you, Kurosaki-kun. I'll see you later, Rukia." She shot Rukia one more glare, then sashayed towards the stage.

Rukia turned back to Ichigo, grabbing the collar of his shirt. "What-" He started, but was quickly cut off by Rukia. "You wanted to talk right? So let's talk." She pulled him to the bar.

He smiled. "Okay." This would definatly prove to be an interesting night.

Her smile never faded, and an unknown emotion played in her amethyst orbs.

The night was filled with laughter, smiles, understanding, and a very jealous Inoue Orihime. She scowled as she sang the last of the lyrics...

**_"Swallow your pride,  
beg me to make this easier and listen to my hopeless cries.  
Staring into your meaningless eyes."_**

A thought passed through her mind as she watched the two. She felt guilty at the feelings that were slowly making her bleeding heart ache even more.

_I shouldn't be jealous. I shouldn't be! Rukia got to him first. She deserves him. She deserves a man in her life._

Her stormy gaze shifted from the pair to drift around the club.

_Rukia Kuchiki deserves Ichigo Kurosaki._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia awoke the next morning in her room, still wearing her dress from the night before.

She sighed heavily, and looked outside. Snow. It was snowing! She smiled wide and let out an awed "Whoa," almost like she had never seen anything so pure, so fantastic, so beautiful, in her life. She opened her window and lightly touched the cold powder. She shivered involuntarily.

She never realized someone was watching her.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Ichigo watched her intently from below the apartment complex. They had left Kaze a little after four in the morning the night before, just when Orihime was packing up to go home. She had agreed to drive Rukia home while Ichigo went back to his place.

He never made it.

Instead, he followed Orihime's car, and waited for four hours until Rukia finally woke up. He smiled at the midnight-haired woman, and proceeded to walk back to his car before she could spot him. He needed to get back home, anyway.

Karin would _not_ be happy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Mitsuki's POV**

"What do you mean you had a vision in your sleep? I thought that the seer blood skipped a generation!" Yoruichi asked tiredly. I had just told her about her strange dream, and Yoruichi was, to say the least, a bit disturbed.

"It's disturbing!"

...Okay, _very_ disturbed.

"I know." I had smartly remembered to leave out the fact about me being turned into a half Vampire. Some might call me crazy, but I really didn't want to die by a stake through the heart. "I'm hoping it was just a dream, and _not_ a vision. But... It just seemed all too real, ya know?"

Yoruichi nodded. "Yeah. Okay, I'll send out a few other agents to see what's going on with those Turok-Han thingies." She shuddered. "It's like those things are practically flying out of our asses, now." She chuckled at that, and walked away, most likely to Urahara's office.

I sighed, and started walking again.

_"This is all a part of our life. Our way. It's been this way for centuries upon centuries. The Elders gave you the visions because they thought you could handle them. You **know** you can't. You're weak! You're stubborn, and can't take no for an answer!" _Hitsugaya's voice rang in my head.

I shook my head. No... I'm not weak. I can handle this. I really can. And I'll stop these visions from coming true, even if it kills me.

My eyes widened.

_"I'll stop these visions from coming true, even if it kills me."_

I bit my lip. I'm so stupid! Hitsugaya was right, I _am _weak. I stiffened and my hand instinctively moved to the gun on my hip when I heard a light scuffling sound behind me. I whirled around, and spotted a little girl, no older than seven years old.

"Um... Hello." I said, confused. What in the world was a _child_ doing in our HQ?

"Hello, miss." She said politely. She had pitch black hair, tied into a low ponytail, and deep, amethyst eyes. One name passed through my mind.

_Rukia._

"I'm looking for either Rukia or Mitsuki Kuchiki. Do you know them?" She sounded nervous, scared, and even a little bit confused. Why was this girl looking for me and Rukia?

"Uh, I'm Mitsuki, dear." I said, kneeling down to get a better look at the girl. Damn, aside from the hair style and attitude, this girl could be a younger version of Rukia! She beamed at me, and looked relieved. She lunged forward, pulling me into a hug.

"Auntie Mimi!" She giggled, and my eyes widened.

_Aunt_?

As in _Byakuya_ and _Hisana's _kid? I mean, Rukia told me that they had a kid, but we just assumed she was dead. After Byakuya was killed, she just disappeared. She couldn't have run away, she wasn't even two at the time! Everyone just assumed the Ookami Akuma had eaten her.

"Um... Excuse me? Auntie Mimi?"

She looked back at me, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah! It's me, Mikoto!"

Mikoto, huh? Mikoto was a name that meant, 'Winged Beings'. I don't know why, but Byakuya always liked that name. I smiled ruefully, picking my newly found niece up. "Mikoto..." I repeated, testing her name out on my tongue. "It's beautiful," I grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"So... Sweetie, what are you doing here?" She should be at my dad's, since he's the only living family we have in this part of Japan.

She looked at me, her violet eyes holding just an ounce of sadness. "Well, you see..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rukia, phone call," Orihime said from the other room. Her voice was frosty, and she felt dead inside. She was still blistering over Rukia and Ichigo's closeness. It hurt, but she didn't say anything.

The ebony-haired Slayer walked in the living room, and hesitated. "Who is it?"

Orihime did her best, trying to smile. "Mitsuki-san." Rukia took the phone gently from her friend, nodded in thanks, and sat down on the couch. Orihime made her way into the kitchen.

"Nee-san?" Rukia asked into the phone. _"Yeah, hey Rukia. Listen up, I need you down at Urahara's office, pronto!"_

"What? Why? A mission?"

_"Nope... It's just... Get down here, ASAP!"_

Rukia blinked twice, then shrugged. "Okay, I'll be down in ten."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"I'm here, I'm here, don't freak!" Rukia gasped as she flew into Urahara's office. Upon entering, she looked at the people in the room. An amused looking Urahara, an exasperated Yoruichi, an embarrassed looking Mitsuki, and a giggling little girl by Mitsuki.

"Who's the kid?"

"She's the reason you're here, Rukia-chan," Urahara laughed, patting the small child on her head. She glared menacingly at him. Mitsuki raised a brow. _Well, well. Looks like Mikoto inherited something other than her hair from Byakuya._

"I'm sure you remember her, Rukia, this is Mikoto, your niece..."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Mikoto?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo had just endured thirty minutes of shouting and mindless crying from Senna, two hours worth of motherly scolding from Sakura, and was getting ready for the beating of a lifetime from Karin. _Note to self: Always leave a note before leaving the house._

He lived with _insane_ women.

He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the smack on the head or the kick in the leg.

It never came.

Instead, he was enveloped in a hug by his sister. And he thought she didn't have a heart! "K...Karin?"

"It was already hard enough losing mom, and Yuzu, even dad. _Don't_ die." She drew in a shaky breath. Then, she stood, sending Ichigo a swift kick to his shin. He grunted in pain. "I'm sick of babysitting you, anyways." She huffed, but offered him a relieved smile.

Ichigo just smiled.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I'm surprised I got this chap up as quickly as I did. It took me an hour and a half to get this done!**

**Not that long, compared to the next chap ;)**

**Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!**

**-Tsuki Meroko Uchiha**


	6. Halo

**Seriously, you guys know the truth! Why are you doing this to me?! It hurts too much to say it out loud! I DO NOT own Bleach! -Sobs-**

**I also don't own the songs used in this.**

**This story is based loosely off the shows Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't own that, either.**

**I changed the key a little bit:**

**_"Demon/Vampire talking"_**

_thinking/ flashback/ emphasis on certain words_

**_Demon/ Vampire thinking/ putting emphases on certain words in flashbacks or dreams/ A Demon /Vampire putting emphases on a word_**

"Human, Vampire/ Demon in hiding speaking"

**P.S. The song the person from the Unknown POV sings is from Jigoku Shoujo episode 2. I just got hooked on it. Ai is so awsome!**

**P.S.S The song Rukia sings is Halo by Beyonce. I loved her in 'Obsessed'!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**REMINDER!:  
Takes place:  
Rukia's time line: 1944  
Ichiru's time line: 2009**

**Halo**

**Rukia's POV**

_**"Don't be sad. Even if she doesn't forgive you, even if they don't forgive you, I'll always be there, right next to you. You just have to tell me... what can I do to make you forgive me?"**_

_"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."_

_Who is that? Who's apologizing? Is it me? ...It might be, but I don't know... It... it's foggy. I can't see straight. I can barely hear. __"I'm so sorry. So, so, sorry..." __I've heard this voice before... It's not comforting, but it's familiar. And... just who is willing to forgive this person?_

**_"No matter what you do, just know, I'll forgive you no matter what. So stop crying already! It just doesn't suit you and your know-it-all attitude!"_**

_Crying? Who's crying? Then, I felt it. The hot burning in my eyes, the wetness of my cheeks, and the weak little whimpers I was making. "I'm n-not..." I tried to speak, but my throat was plugged up. It felt like I was choking on air._

_"I'm sorry!" The weak voice sobbed again. It was then that I realized it **was** me. I was crying, begging whoever this other person was for forgiveness._

**_"Didn't I tell you to stop crying? No matter what happens, there's no mistake you can't take back. And if there is, I'll still forgive you. Just know, you'll never need a reason to apologize to me. Okay? I never want to hear you say 'I'm sorry', again"_**

_I felt a warm, comforting hand cup my cheek. "Ichigo?" I finally asked, my tears subsiding. Is it really him? It sounds so much like him._

**_"I have to go now. But don't worry. I'll be back for you soon! So please... stop... crying..."_**

My eyes snapped open, but I stayed completely still. My cheeks were sticky with hot tears.

What the hell was that? That last sentence... it sounded like Ichigo, but at the same time, it didn't. The voice was hoarse. And it echoed. It was disturbing... like the voice from a monster from a terrible nightmare. I felt movement next to me, and I stiffened.

"Mom?" It was Mikoto. She was dreaming again.

"Yeah, sweetheart. It's mommy. Go back to sleep. I'm... I'm not going anywhere." I said in the best impersonation of Hisana I could. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never get my voice so soft. I just prayed Mikoto was too tired to notice.

"That's great..." She let out a soft sigh of relief. "I don't want to be alone... again..." And with that, she fell back asleep, back into her subconscious.

I relaxed. After Mitsuki found Mikoto, Yoruichi agreed that I would take care of her, since I knew more about her. Mitsuki would babysit, maybe even take her off my hands for a week or so sometimes. We had learned from Miki that she _was _living with Byakuya and Mitsuki's father, but he had been admitted into Tokyo's psych ward.

Apparently, he had been in some sort of psychotic depression since Byakuya went to college. You know, hallucinations, delusions... all that jazz. So, yeah. To be completely honest, I don't even know how he got custody rights over her, considering he had been diagnosed when Byakuya was twenty-one. That brings up another question... how the _hell _did he find her?!

Well, maybe some things are better left unanswered.

I looked at the TV screen in front of me, which showed multi-coloured dancing dinosaurs. Then again, I just assumed they were multi-coloured. Nothing's really colourful if the screen's always in black and white. Anyway, back to the dinosaurs.

What. The. Hell.

Then, I remembered. Mikoto had insisted that I put it on some stupid kitty-show. She was pretty demanding for a seven year old.

That's my girl!

I changed the channel to the news. How boring. Well, it was better than sitting on a lumpy couch for three hours, waiting for Mikoto to wake up. This is why I hated staying awake at home, at night.

There was absolutely NOTHING on TV!

I looked at the screen blankly, watching the balding, chubby, greasy weather man drone on and on and on about the natural weather occurrences. Just get to the forecasts, already!

_"Alright, for the rest of the week, prepare for a few days of scalding weather, and then..."_

Okay, I get it. Mother Nature's gonna be a bitch for the next month and a half. Alright... let's see if I got this right. Monday through Wednesday's going to be sunny, Thursday and Friday will be cloudy, and these guys are suspecting rain on the weekend. Perfect.

Just perfect.

**[End POV]**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**[Matsumoto's POV]**

"Hitsugaya-sama?" I called out nervously. He had been unusually distraught over that Slayer girl... don't get me wrong, she was a sweet girl, but why did master wish to have her on our side? Sure, a Slayer servant is praised upon in the Underworld, but master seems unusually upset about it.

He turned to face me, his icy blue eyes downcast. "Yes, Matsumoto?"

"Are you alright?" I smiled warmly at him. He was so much like the little brother I never had.

He looked back down, at his wine. "I'm fine, don't worry yourself. You'll just end up sick." he said stoically, but I couldn't help but feel something bigger was going on. I fingered the stem of my own wine glass, and sat down next to him, on the large bench in the mansion. We were seated in the attic, which really didn't look like an attic. It looked more like a fifteenth century dining hall.

"The Elders... really should have known better." He sighed, and kept looking out the window.

It was in that moment I finally understood. The visions. I went to the council meeting for him, to meet with the Elders. They had told me that Hitsugaya's next servant was to inherit the Visions of the Turok-Han. They may be monsters, even among us, but their blood runs through our veins, weather we like it or not. Some Vampires, though, like Mitsuki-chan, just have more than others. She wasn't even a Vampire. She was barely half! It looks like all the DNA she got was from the Hans, though. Otherwise, she wouldn't be showing any powers. Just light cases of blood lust and that fang.

He was worried. Mitsuki-chan couldn't handle these visions. She would either go crazy from the stress and take her own life, or go insane and shut off everyone around her. In a way, it was sweet. He may have brought this curse upon her, but he still cared for her the way a brother would his little sister. He had admitted he had felt more towards her once, but he knew that relationship would never come to be. Just like his relationship with that other girl... Hinamori, was it? Well, he had Karin and I to look after him. But anyways, back to the situation of Mitsuki-chan and the Elders. She would crack eventually.

It was common sense.

Humans, even if converted cannot handle the natural stress taken from the Turok Han's primitive manner. I should know. I was almost thrown into the deep, dark, cold, abyss of insanity, and I'm a full, flesh and blood Vampire.

And she was only half.

I looked at the deep, mystical, blue moon. It was a tranquil night. I sighed contentedly. The Hans. The Scourge. They were closing in.

It was only a matter of time.

I smiled slightly, bowed, and strode out of the large room, heading for my quarters, one floor down. I had been so afraid that something, like a Slayer, would come in in the middle of the night, and kill him. Like I said before Hitsugaya-sama was like a brother to me. I couldn't let anything happen to him.

"Rangiku-chan." I heard a cold voice echo, and I stiffened. I hadn't heard that voice in over three hundred years.

"Gin... Ichimaru."

**[End POV]**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**[Ichigo's POV]**

Why do Vampires adore red wine so much? Is it just because it reminds us of the hunt, when killing humans was so simple, around three hundred years back? Or is it just because we love the taste? The intoxicating aroma? The colour?

Even I don't know.

Karin had been unusually happy for the past few weeks. Well, aside from my little all-night-er last week, that is. She had this glow... and I knew why. She had drunken human blood. It had been over two centuries since either of us had felt the lovely taste that came with mortal blood.

That man... Hitsugaya Toshirou. It's not that I hated him; no, he was, in a weird sort of way, like a little brother. It's just that... he seems like a better person to take care of Karin than me. Her own _brother_! I sighed audibly, thinking of that woman.

Rukia Kuchiki.

I had known her brother, Byakuya. Not a very nice guy, to tell you the truth. He was... so cold, so intimidating. I would have killed him, but he had a sick wife, a baby daughter, and a little sister to look after. I couldn't do that. Not that it mattered, anyway. He was killed two months later, only three weeks after his wife died.

But Rukia was so... unlike him. She wasn't icy like him, she was just... cold. Not cold as in mean, but... something about her reminds me of snow. She was unusual. No one made me feel the way I did when I was around her. To be honest, our 'date' on Friday was... _fun_.

I smiled as I sipped the red wine in my hand. We'll have to do it again sometime.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**[Yoruichi's POV]**

How long did she think she could fool me?

I had known for over three weeks now. About Mitsuki-chan's... _condition_. Urahara had told me. It's horrible. How could something like this happen to her? If it were to happen to anyone, I just wish it were Inoue-san. I know, that's a horrible thing to think. But come on, the girl is seriously mental!

Okay... maybe not mental. She's just a little... out of it, you know? But she's so sweet, too. Kind of like... the crazy, deranged little sister I never had.

Okay... wrong choice of words.

I don't even know how Urahara found out. I already knew, but was denying it until Urahara told me _he _knew. Mitsuki was paler, her gray eyes looked duller. Her black hair was darker. So dark, it was almost _blue_. She had stopped Rukia's French and Latin lessons, and spaced out _all the time._

But what really got me into believing she was one of them, was her right canine. It was... considerably longer. And sharper.

I wouldn't turn her in to Yamamoto, though. If I did, she'd be killed, even if she _is_only half. That bastard... he's the one who executed my best friend, and former partner, Soi Fon, for the exact same reason! My fists clench just thinking about it.

I'm in my study right now, in my home, two blocks away from Kaze.

I'm silently re-reading Rukia's report from her latest Demon extermination. Scourge. Almost twenty of 'em.

I groan, slamming my head on the large oak desk in front of me. What the hell was with all these demons lately?

I knew. All. Hell. Has. Broken. Through.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Unknown POV]**

**[Present Day, 2009]**

Dreams. I never dreamt much. I had nightmares. Horrible, blood-filled nightmares, where screams echoed everywhere you turned. I had nightmares of my past. My terror-filled past. My one love... my best friend, died. Right there in front of me.

We were in the woods. He was talking. But not to me. No... there was someone else with us. But who? All I want to know is _who. _It was... it was peaceful. Then, I heard a shriek, a shout of 'run away, get out of here,' and then... red.

There was _so much blood_.

I couldn't even tell if it was his or my own. Was it both of ours?

Was it... that other person's?

I had been hiding not too far away, in the trunk of a fallen tree. I thought I was safe, until I heard her singing... in such a dreadful voice. It was a hoarse voice, like it hadn't been used in years.

_"Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat. Where in the world are you..."_

Even now, years later, I can hear that haunting voice... I lay, alone on my bed, lightly singing the song.

_"Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat. Why in the world did you run away from me?"_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Normal POV]**

Orihime giggled at Rukia. With the dark circles under her eyes, messy hair, and Mikoto's backpack, she really did look like an overworked mother.

It was funny. Imagining Rukia as a mother.

"Don't laugh, or I'll kill you with the stuffed rabbit I have stashed away in this stupid backpack." Rukia threatened with a dark growl.

Orihime smirked at her exhausted-looking friend. "You've used threats like that on me for nearly ten years, Rukia. It doesn't faze me anymore." Rukia growled louder. "Sis is taking Miki-chan today. _I_ have a mission."

Orihime smiled. But then, realizing something, she frowned. "Ah... Rukia, do you think that's really such a good idea? After all, your sister hasn't really been... with it, you know? She's been pretty spacey, do you think she can handle a seven year old child in her state?" Orihime sounded like she thought Mitsuki was crazy.

Then again, the black-haired girl really did change a lot in the past month. She had spaced out almost every second of the day, and had this strange light in her eyes. Almost like she was happy, yet very afraid. It was weird. Many of the other members of the HQ (Orihime included) suggested Karakura's Psych Ward. After all, the insanity could have been hereditary.

Yeah, _right_.

Rukia glared at her roommate. "I'm sure. Orihime, come on, you're not trying to tell me you actually believe these damn rumors, do you?" She looked at her friend with a stony amethyst gaze. Orihime looked down, obviously uncomfortable. "It... it seems quite possible that she... you know."

"She isn't crazy." Rukia stated simply, no anger showing in her words. "Mikoto, let's go! I have to report to the gates in one hour!" Mikoto jumped from Rukia's bedroom, holding a small, pink ribbon. "Sorry, auntie!" She apologized breathlessly. "Can you fix my hair? Ponytail please!" She grinned hugely and held out the silky ribbon. "Please?" She asked again.

Rukia smiled and gently took the ribbon, proceeding to tie up Mikoto's hair.

"Alright! Let's move!" Mikoto laughed out about two minutes later.

Rukia let a small giggle escape her throat. Orihime laughed.

Were they _sure_ this was _Byakuya_'s kid?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Two hours later.......**

Rukia Kuchiki _hated _reconnaissance missions. The lengths she had to go through to get information sometimes... were just _repulsive_.

Luckily, all she had to do this time, was sing, and flirt with a couple bar patrons. She wasn't in Kaze, no, she was in the richer section of Karakura, in a flashy club known throughout Japan as Sereitei. So far, everything was going well. The owner, Shunsui Kyōraku, was good friends with one of Rukia's senseis, Ukitake Jyushiro, so he immediately gave her all the details as soon as he saw her.

There was a Demon here. Somewhere. According to Shunsui, it was a Shifter. So Rukia stayed on her toes. Last time she faced a Shifter, she had ended up fighting _Orihime_. Oh, yes. Those things were tricky.

Nanao Ise, Seretei's co-owner (Much like Yoruichi is with Urahara at Kaze), cleared her throat, signaling for the pianist to stop playing. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a _very _special guest tonight." She smiled at Rukia. "I'd like to introduce a veteran singer from another club, Kaze, and I'm sure most of you have heard of it," She smiled wider as the audience clapped. "Rukia Kuchiki!"

The audience clapped louder, and Rukia sighed, standing up. A few guys looked at her with shining eyes. She nodded at Nanao. "Thank you, Nanao-san." She smiled, and turned to the pianist. "Do you know 'Halo'?" He nodded, smiling brightly.

She cleared her throat, and began singing, the piano playing in the background.

**_"Remember those walls I built? Well, baby they're tumbling down."  
"And they didn't even put up a fight, They didn't even make a sound"_**

She let her amethyst eyes glide over the club patrons. Even if Rukia would never admit it, she was nervous. Recon missions always made her nervous. She was barely twenty-three, and she had seen more things than a World War I soldier should have.

She took in a deep breath, calming herself. These guys had to love her... love her to trust her.

**_"I found a way to let you in... But I never really had a doubt."  
"Standing in the light of your Halo... Oh, I got my Angel now."_**

Ichigo Kurosaki glared at the young woman with auburn hair and big, green eyes who was so desperatly clinging to him. Her name was Grace, from what she had slurred when she first sat down next to him.

"Kurosaki- _kun_..." She whined, tugging his shirt sleeve. "Come on... just talk wif me for... a wile...." She was so obviously drunk from the way her words slurred. "Oh... or better yet... let's dance!" She laughed and tried to pull him up. "Come on! I _wuuuv_ this song!!" She whined more, trying to get him up. He glared harder, then pushed himself away from the young woman. He had half a mind to drag her behind the club by the hair and snap her neck in two.

But that would look suspicious.

**_"It's like I've been awakened  
Every rule I had you breakin'  
It's the risk that I'm taking  
I ain't never gonna shut you out!"_**

He growled when she tried to get up and follow him, but as soon as he did, she sat down, almost completely sober again.

He looked straight ahead, determined to get out of that damn place. The girls were whores, and the guys were jerks. Kaze was almost the exact same, with one special difference.

_Rukia Kuchiki._

**_"Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby, I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace"_**

He hadn't been able to get that Slayer's face out of his head. But he firmly told himself it was because she could lead him to what she and the rest of the Slayer's Union were hiding. The Chosen One. Urahara knew who it was. So did Yoruichi. But the rest of the Slayers didn't even know what the Chosen One was, let alone who.

All of them, but Rukia.

_"Do you like her, Ichi-nii?"_ Karin's voice rang in his head. _"Don't let her shirk you away from your work. She's a **human**."_

He scoffed.

_She **is** my work._

_**"You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby, I can feel your halo  
Pray it won't fade away"**_

Who was singing that song? It sounded so familiar...

He turned at the door, and his eyes widened.

"...Rukia."

**_"I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
Halo, ooh ooh...."_**

_What the hell is **he** doing here?!_ She screamed in her mind, looking somewhat longingly at the orange-haired man. She couldn't stop thinking of him... even now, when she had a mission, Yoruichi, and Mikoto to worry about.

He was so _cute_, standing there with that stupid grin on his face.

**_"Hit me like a ray of sun  
Burning through my darkest night  
You're the only one that I want  
Think I'm addicted to your light  
I swore I'd never fall again  
But this don't even feel like falling  
Gravity can't forget  
To pull me back to the ground again"_**

_"Do you love him, Rukia?"_

_"Love is a bit strong, don't you think so, Orihime? But... he is cute. And really nice too." Rukia smiled, a dreamy look in her eyes._

_"... I know." Orihime said, a bittersweet smile crossing her features._

**_"It's like I've been awakened  
Every rule I had you breakin'  
It's the risk that I'm taking  
I'm never gonna shut you out!"_**

Ichigo couldn't tear his eyes away from her. That dress... was beautiful on her.

It was a flowing, purple dress that reached a little past her knee.

**_"Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby, I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace  
You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby, I can feel your halo  
I pray it won't fade away"_**

He smirked. If only she knew the irony behind her words... if that song was for him, it was a joke.

He was no angel.

**_"I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
Halo, ooh ooh..."_**

He was staring at her with slightly shocked amber eyes. She fought to hide a blush.

She knew, someone, somewhere, was laughing at her situation.

**_"I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
I can feel your halo  
I can see your halo  
Halo, ooh oh..."_**

She leapt off stage, ignoring the cheers and cat-calls.

She was right in front of him now, panting ever so slightly.

"Hey." He smirked.

"Hi," She grinned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Yeah, yeah, rant and scream all you want. I'M ENDING IT HERE!**

**Oh, and sorry Orihime lovers. I'm just not a very big fan of her. She's pretty useful in the series, I admit, but quite honestly... she annoys me. Sorry! I'll try to go easy on the Inoue- bashing, though. Kay? Is that okay?**

**Anyway, if you must know, I'll be doing that through the course of the story. Mixing up the names... Some English, some Japanese, some... some other language!! But come on, I really don't have a knack for Japanese names... all though I do admit I like Mikoto's name.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**-TMU**


	7. As if by Fate

**I don't own Bleach. If you haven't figured that out by now, you need some serious help.**

**I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, either!**

**Some InuYasha and Code Geass R2 'Shirley's Death' references. I don't own that either.**

**...I am a fan though. An overly-obsessed fan, but a fan nonetheless.**

**Tenshi, chapter 7.**

**P.S. Sorry if my translations of some languages aren't correct! I'M JUST A TEENAGER! A really stupid teen when it comes to languages, anyway...**

**P.S.S. SOME ICHIxOC IN HERE! Its OK, tho. She's dead.**

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**As if By Fate**

_Volo vos ut astrum procul mihi. verus mihi. Volo vos remitto vestri. pro vestri whimsical pars. Volo vos experior. quod agnosco ceterus mihi._

**I want you to stare at me... the real me. I want you to forgive yourself... for your whimsical side. I want you to try... and understand the other me.**

**-- Rika Furude from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Latin and English versions)**

**TMU************************************************

"Hey,"

"Hi,"

Silence.

"So..." Ichigo muttered, more to himself than to the Kuchiki in front of him. "Ah... don't you work at Kaze? Why're you here, in Sereitei?"

"Oh... you see, the owner of Sereitei, Shunsui-san, wanted me to preform here... for business purposes. Apparently, I'm pretty popular in the singing community!" She laughed awkwardly. Ichigo tilted his head to the side curiously.

"But... what are _you_ doing here?" It was her turn for questions.

"Oh... yeah. I just had a _really _tough day at work... so I decided to come here... my friends dragged me along!" It wasn't a total lie, his old friend (A human one, anyway), Renji, had dragged him here with another friend from his work, Chad. They had left two hours earlier.

"Ah." Rukia nodded. "Well, _Ichigo_," She made sure to use his first name, "I should be going. I hope to see you at Kaze... soon." She smiled at him, and slowly made her way towards the stage.

"Yeah... later."

**TMU************************************************

"Yoruichi, I have to talk to you!" Mitsuki practically screamed, marching up to Kaze's co-owner.

"Yes?" She sighed, then realized something, her eyes widening in horror. "Where's Mikoto?!"

"Miki is with Inoue-san." She sighed and looked at the Shihoin with dead eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"My god... Kuchiki, what the hell happened? When did you die and come back to life?" Yoruichi asked, almost completely serious. "Ha ha, very funny. I'm here to tell you about another vision I had. The reason I look like this is because I'm too terrified to go back to sleep. Although now I guess the visions have found a way to attack, even when I'm awake. But you see... here's the twist. When I'm awake, I have visions from the past."

Yoruichi just stared at her for a second. "From the... past? Like, past? As in... before the present?" She looked confused. "What was it about?"

"It was around... one thousand years ago, if I recall. In Japan's feudal era. If all my assumptions are correct, the girl, Reiko, was a village priestess."

_Flashback/vision_

_Ichigo Kurosaki, now twenty-six years old. Vampire of eight years. __He was walking around what used to be Ankara Village. It was in ruins. All because of one man._

_Gin Ichimaru. ...Or at least, Gin's master._

_He growled, and kept walking. He had to get back to the safe house... no matter what. Why? **She **was there. Reiko Kazuki._

_And before you lovely readers even think about asking, yes. She was his little girlfriend. His little **human** girlfriend. His little **weak**... okay, maybe not **weak**... girlfriend. She was a Slayer, and quite possibly, the last one in Japan at the moment._

_"Reiko? Oi, Reiko, you here? Its Ichigo." He whispered sharply in a small hut, about three miles away from what used to be the village she and her sister Minako ruled. "I-Ich..." A weak voice coughed, and he stumbled forward, looking around sharply. Then, he saw her._

_"Reiko!"_

_She was slumped forward, blood oozing out of her stomach. "Minako... she-she's...." She coughed some more, and looked at the dead woman a few feet away. Her mouth was set in a tight line, her eyes closed almost peacfully. Her bluish- white hair was spread out, framing her face. She would have looked beautiful, if not for the blood matting her hair and dripping from her head and neck to the dirt below her. "Check... check and see..." Reiko gasped, motioning towards her sister._

_Ichigo nodded, and sprinted towards the woman who had been like an older sister to him for as long as he could remember. "Minako?" He called out cautiously. She lay, unmoving. He checked her pulse, and found nothing. He shook his head sadly, and turned back to Reiko._

_"Nothing?" She gasped, more out of shock than sadness. He nodded. "Nothin'."_

_She looked at the woman with rueful eyes, holding an ounce of anger. "Bitch... how could she leave me like this? Ah... what does it matter anyway... I'll be with her soon enough... soon enough..." She said the words bitterly, tears pouring from her glassy blue eyes._

_"I'm sorry... Ichigo. Don't look at me like that. You are immortal. And in a way... so am I. Remember the pact we made?" He knew what she was talking about. The pact. The pact that said that she'd by reborn. Every one hundred years. "For... as long... as you live... on this green Earth... I will be reborn. With new memories, and a new life. And... every time I'm reborn, I'll keep... falling... in love... with... you." Her eyes drifted shut, and Ichigo just stood there, watching her, his eyes wide._

_He bit his lip to keep from screaming. He could hear the horses outside. The pounding hooves. The screaming villagers._

_"SEARCH THE HOUSE!" He knew that voice all to well. It was Temperance. Reiko's supposed 'best friend'. But **she **was the one who shattered the peace. The one who tipped Gin off that a human had fallen in love with a vampire. The one who was guaranteed a spot in the new world order. **She** started this hell._

_Because she claimed she **loved** him. Claimed she **loved **the idea of a one thousand year long darkness enveloping the Earth. Claimed she and Ichigo were a match made in Gin's artificial heaven._

_His eyes turned red._

"Wh- wait, hold on a second," Yoruichi stopped the gray-eyed woman. "Did you say... orange hair? Brown eyes? _Vampire_?"

Mitsuki nodded. "Yeah. I think that girl in the vision... Reiko said his name was Ichigo. Why? Does it matter?"

Yoruichi thought about a conversation she had with Rukia, just two weeks earlier...

_"So, sweetie. Who's the orange-haired hunk?" Yoruichi said suggestively._

_Rukia rolled her eyes. "His name is Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo."_

_Yoruichi already knew this, already knew what he was. But she decided to play along. For Rukia's sake. And probably, her sanity. "Ah... I see. He's cute." And with that, she walked away, giving Rukia nothing but a semi-sad smile. __Rukia tilted her head to the side. What the hell? No jab or silly banter? No 'hey did you get laid yet? Or do I have to spike one of your drinks?'_

_Something was definatly wrong._

"Oi! Y-Yoruichi?! Where the hell are ya goin'?" Mitsuki screamed. She was pretty frustrated with everything that had been going on the past month.

"Um... somewhere! Do me a favor and find Rukia! She's up on Cora Drive right now I think, up in Sereitei! I'm sure you remember Shunsui! Tell him Kisuke and I need Rukia back here!"

Mitsuki just stared blankly ahead. "Okay.... hey! Wait! Hold on! What about..." But Yoruichi was already gone.

"....Mikoto?"

TMU*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**"kaze ni hana sou kokoro yuuru shite--** "I'll talk to the wind, my heart accepts fate  
**dare mo shireba ii ino na no dakara--** Because, no one really knows why, now  
**mito meta koto wo kitszuite koto mo--** I'm aware, and I've admitted this  
**kono aozora to -- **Compared to the blue, blue sky,  
**mune ni hime koto"**-- My heart is dying, oh so fast"_

"Rukia. What's with the sad music all of a sudden? You have a great voice, but come on, that was just _depressing_." Ichigo laughed. Against his better judgement, he decided to stay during the rest of her songs, enduring the whining whores and jealous guys.

"S-sorry, Ichigo! I've just had this song stuck in my head for days now. It's something my mother sang to me whenever my father..." She looked at the orange haired man. "N-never mind. Sorry." She decided it was still too early to share her past. Hell, she hadn't even shared it with Orihime yet! As far as the Inoue knew, Rukia had just been a normal girl up till her brother in law's murder.

She stared up at the quarter moon. It was so beautiful. She faintly saw Hisana's laughing face in its depths. She and Rukia always used to sneak out of the house around midnight, and watch the moon. It was the girls' favorite past time.

"It sure is beautiful." Ichigo mused quietly, and Rukia blinked. "The moon," he clarified. "My... my mother and I... we used to watch it every night."

"How sweet. What happened? You probably just grew up, huh?" Rukia asked, frowning a bit. "No," He chuckled darkly. "She... she died. Was killed, actually." This got Rukia interested. Was it a Vampire? "I was barely nine... I'm sorry.... I really shouldn't be bumming you out like this!" He laughed lightly.

Rukia was silent for a moment. "It's fine. In a way... I think you're kind of lucky." Ichigo looked at her, an eyebrow quirked.

"I mean... your mom cared. Mine... she tried to act like she loved me and my sister, she really did, but we all knew that she was just acting. She didn't hate us... she just... didn't care. And my dad... well, he was a lunatic. I thought he belonged in a nut house, but my mom never admitted him. She just stayed away. And... well... my dad... he beat us, too. He kept saying we were demons, that we deserved it. My mom didn't do a thing. I mean, when my sister went into hysterics, or when I was sobbing my brains out, she was always there, singing a lullaby. But that was really the only time she was ever really a mother."

Ichigo stared at her for a long while. So this girl had felt pain, too? "She cared."

Rukia looked up, questioningly.

"She probably cared a lot, she most likely loved you guys to death. She just... didn't know how to show it, is all."

As Rukia thought, it made sense. A lot of sense. After all, her mom had Hisana when she was barely fifteen. It was beyond likely. At least she wasn't one of those party moms who came home drunk and had affairs. No, she tried. She was probably just too afraid of her husband.

She was even there for Hisana's wedding.

Rukia looked at Ichigo. "You... you're probably right. Thanks, Ichigo." And with that, she leaned forward, brushing her lips against his.

TMU*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello, Shunsui-san." Mitsuki said, bowing respectively. "Um... if you don't mind me asking, where's Rukia? Kisuke-kun and Yoruichi want her." Mikoto was behind her, smiling slightly at the older man. He seemed nice enough, and for a seven year old, that was good enough.

"Rukia-chan? Nanao-_chaaaan_, where's Ru-"

"Last I saw of her she was leaving Sereitei with a young man with bright, spiky, orange hair and brown eyes." Nanao said before her boss could say anything more.

"Oh... okay, I guess I'll talk to her when she gets ba... hold on, did you say _orange hair_? _Brown eyes_?" Her own stormy irises were wide with shock and nervousness.

"Yeah. Why? Is something the matter, Mitsuki-chan?" Nanao asked, confused.

"Uh... I think so. W-watch Mikoto for me, guys." And without another word, she pushed her seven year old niece into Shunsui's arms. "W-wait! Mitsu...."

But she was gone.

"...Ki?"

TMU*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks for walking me home, Ichigo." Rukia smiled at the man. "So... does this count as our, like, third date or something?"

He bit his lip in mock thought. "Well, I'd actually say second, seeing as that incident at Kaze two weeks ago counted as our official 'first date'." He smiled at her.

"Whatever. So... see you later, then."

"See you."

And he watched Rukia slowly retreat inside Shunsui and Nanao's home, where she was currently staying until her mission was over.

As soon as she was inside, Ichigo sighed audibly. "So, when are you going to come out?"

Mitsuki emerged from a grouping of trees about twenty feet away, a slightly shocked look on her face. "I can't say I'm surprised you caught me, Ichigo-kun." She smirked, and pulled out a saintrix. He looked at the high powered gun in the woman's hands. They were shaking lightly.

"Mitsuki-san, is it? Aren't you Hitsugaya's new servent?" Ichigo asked exasperatedly.

She glared harder. "If you're going to refer to me by _him_, I'd prefer you not knowing me. So, what, are you friends with that bastard?!" She almost yelled, but was careful not to. The last thing she needed was for Mikoto and Rukia to come charging out, and see them like this.

That would be awkward.

He shrugged. "Sort of. My sister seems to like him. I'm sure you remember her... Karin Kurosaki?"

Mitsuki didn't bother to hide her disgust. It wasn't that she hated Karin. No, actually, she had taken a liking to the young vampire among her many visits to Hiitsugaya's estate, despite her being one of the reasons Mitsuki was now like this. She was kind of like Rukia, in some ways. It was Hitsugaya himself Mitsuki despised.

"Yes. I do. And, it just so happens _my _sister has taken a liking to _you_, as well. So, I guess I can't kill you. I won't tell her what you are, either. Just... just don't do to her what Toshirou did to me. Can you promise me that, at the very least?" She sighed, and put her gun back into her holster.

He nodded. "Of course."

Her glare softened somewhat. There was a sincerity in his voice that made him... different. Ichigo really was nice... for a vampire. And she knew, deep in her heart, that she could trust this man with all her being.

"Thank you." And with that, she walked past him, to the house. "Goodnight, Kurosaki-san."

"Hn." The vampire grumbled out, starting to walk away.

Mitsuki hesitated. "Kurosaki-san?" She heard his footsteps stop.

"Yeah, Mitsuki-san?" She gulped softly.

"Ano... your old master. Gin. Do you know where we can find him?"

"_We_?" He asked softly, quirking a brow. They still weren't facing each other.

"I'm sorry.... I." She corrected. She wouldn't tell anyone. She would try and kill Gin herself. From what Mitsuki had seen so far, he was the cause of all this. The visions, Hitsugaya suddenly re-appearing, and the sudden outbreak of demons. She wasn't trying to play hero purposely, no, she just wanted all of this to end as quickly as possible.

He was silent. For a moment, she was afraid he had walked away. But then he spoke. "Why?"

"Just... tell me." Her voice was soft, almost sympathetic. "Where is he, Ichigo? Where is Gin? Where is...." She gulped, "...Aizen?"

She heard a sharp intake of breath come from his direction. So, it _was_ Aizen. Sosuke Aizen, to be exact. A Vampire who had eluded Slayers since the ending of the Nara Period. A man who was once a human. A man who started out like anyone else.

He was silent once more. Then he muttered, "Hell. They're in Hell." And with that, he dissappeared.

Mitsuki blinked. Hell? As in... the _underworld_? She growled softly, then glared at nothing in particular, as her hands started to shake.

"Dammit!"

TMU*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why did we leave like that, auntie?"

In the end, Mitsuki had decided to let Rukia finish her mission. Ichigo was a nice guy, even if he _was_ trained by Vampires.

Mitsuki didn't answer her niece. Instead, she just kept driving, Kisuke's 1942 Buick humming softly. One word was echoing through her head...

_Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, damn this whole thing...._

TMU*-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Unknown POV]**

**[Present Day, 2009]**

There it is again... the sweet lullaby.... from my dreams....

_"That day, deep in your eyes,  
I saw the loneliness... Are the two of us really alike? If I'd realized it, you were always by my side  
Why do I love you so much? Your voice rings inside me so much it makes me sad Just what it was that supported me so much From afar, I realize it now"_

I look up, into the gray sky. It seems so far away, now. The young man behind me, sighed once.

"Kohaku." I said, softly. "How is your father." It was more a statement than question. He shrugged. My back was turned, but I could still hear the swishing fabric of his navy jacket. These days, nothing can escape my ears. "Fine." He said, nonchalantly. Like he didn't care about anything, anyone. I felt my blood boil involuntarily.

"Is that so?" I half-growl. This... _child_ was a disgrace. I mean... he's been like my son, these few past years... but he's so.... _infuriating_.

It drives me crazy.

"Your mother?" I ask again. In a way... I'm jealous. She had always been by _his_ side... by _Kohaku's_ side. Even when I wasn't. She was there. I never was. I hadn't seen her since... well, that day. Almost seventy years ago.

"She is fine, too."

I smile bitterly. "Good. Take care of them, you hear me? They'll die eventually."

I turn slightly, to look at his shocked face. "I thought Vampires were immortal." He says, his voice hoarse. I laugh bitterly, as rain starts to fall. I briefly wonder how two of the most powerful Vampires in the history of the world could concieve such a stupid child.

I sigh, still laughing lightly.

"They are, Kohaku-kun. To old age. To sickness. To objects such as iron swords and daggers. To poison. To suffication. Sometimes even to Hunters. But not to blessed silver bullets. Not to wooden stakes. Not to sunlight. Not to Slayers... never **_ever_** to Slayers. For, they will never rest. They won't rest until every last one of us is turned to ashes, buried six feet under Suzaku Stream, or has stake in their hearts."

"Us." He stated, a faraway tone in his voice.

"Hm?" I ask, and turn to face him.

"You said... us. Are... does that mean, you're one, too?" He sounded slightly shocked.

I sighed. "Yes. Kohaku-kun, I am. And I've survived a short seventy years, narrowly avoiding those who used to be my allies. The only kind faces I **_ever_** see nowadays is yours, and..." I shook my head, realizing I was about to make a huge mistake. Break a promise.

I could never do that.

"Never mind. She's dead."

_Liar. She survived. She's in Tokyo. With her new family. With a daughter. A granddaughter. A son-in-law. A three month old grandson._

"How?"

"... The Turok Han. She was killed, along with her mother. A friend of mine... tried to save them. She couldn't. She died too."

_Lies. She never died. And what mother? As far as anyone knows, that child was an orphan from Karakura._

"It happened during the war. Before you were born."

_You're such a liar. Lies... all lies. You've been lying so much, do you even know what's the truth anymore?_

"Oh."

I glared up at the sky. Oh, how I hated rain. It reminds me so much of the past. I think back at the question I asked myself earlier.

_"Do you even know what's the truth anymore?"_

Do I?

_...No. I don't._

I smile bitterly once more, and stand up from my crouching position. I look down at the stone tablet before me.

**_Mitsuki  
1916- 1949_**

That's it. Plain and simple. Not even a simple last name to identify this 'Mitsuki'. I remember her so well. She was so arrogant. So cocky. So... wild. It amazes me she lived for so long.

_"Oh, please. Is that all you got? I'm a **Vampire**, sweetie. You really think something as flimsy as a katana sword through the chest is gonna kill me? Nice try, but no. Next time, if you're gonna impale me with something, use wood."_

She had ripped me of my pride as a Hunter**. But she was, by far, the only Vampire I had met with a decent heart. She had let me go, reccommending the Slayer Academy. Said the Hunter business was not for me. And I had to admit, she was correct.

_"You're pretty nice, for a Vampire, that is."_

_"Sweetheart. You classify us. You think the term 'Vampire' means blood-sucking monster. I was once like you, a human. Vampires are just like humans, really. Some are good, some are evil. I know a lot of other good Vampires, like me."_

_"Who?"_

_"I can only tell you of one. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki."_

Kohaku looks at the grave. "Mitsuki. Huh. Was she a friend? An ally? A... a Slayer?" My eyes glaze over, and I nod. "Yes. She was. She had a brother, you know. Name was Byakuya. A cold hearted bastard... but I loved him. Loved him like a father."

He tilted his head to the side. "You knew him?"

I look down at the grave. The grave with no body lying underneath. Mitsuki... she is gone. Long gone. Well... not gone, so to speak, she is here, in this city physically, but not mentally. Her mind is caught in another time. Another place. This grave is only here to avert our eyes to what should remain unseen.

"Yes. I do..." I barely noticed I was speaking in present tense.

_I don't know what the truth is anymore. I never did, really. Even when I was human, I lived a lie._

"And I'm determined to keep it that way."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Call me psychotic, but I like writing in the Unknown POV. Its so mysterious.**

**Any guesses to who it might be? Whoever it is is alive in Rukia's timeline. It may even be a future character!! Oh, and NO it isn't Mitsuki. But yeah, she's alive in the current timeline. I'll only give you ONE hint... it's a girl. Not a very good hint, but it's something.**

**And HOW WAS THE ICHIRUKI FLUFF??!!??!! I thought it was cute :)**

****Hunter- _Kind of like a Slayer, only instead of using high tech guns and the traditional stakes, they arm themselves with things such as holy water, crusifixes, and the ever popular garlic and salt. They also carry nail guns, for entrapping Vampires in their coffins. Instead of academys, it's usually a family business (With the exeption of the person from the unknown POV). And, it's also a lot more scattered. No assigned cases or missions, they're basically the loners of the Slayer World. The Hunters have the same relationship with Slayers as Quincys do Shinigami. For Hunters and Slayers, it's just one big race._**

**Anyhoo... REVIEW??!!**

**...Pretty please?**

**-TMUchiha-chan**


	8. The Noise

**I don't own Bleach, Buffy, or Angel**

**Key:**

"Humans/ creatures in hiding talking"

**"Vampires/Demons talking (THAT INCLUDES TUROK-HANS)**

_Thinking_

_'Thinking in a flashback'_

"_Singing"_

_**Emphases on a word in a flashback/dream**_

**ONE MORE THING: "NOIZU", is only one way of spelling 'noise' in Japanese. That's the way the pronounced it in Chrono Crusade, so I'm doing just that!!**

**SLIGHT HitsuHina**

**Chibi Vampire Karin references; Blood Affinity. I don't own that either!**

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Nōizu**

"_One, two, three."_

Rukia hummed a bit as she tuned her guitar. It was one of the few Christmas gifts she had recieved as a child, from her Grandmother Dianne in England or something like that. Dianne was from Rukia's mother's side. Even though Rukia had never met the old woman, she still felt a certain connection towards her. Old Grandma Dianne was still alive as far as Rukia knew, and she briefly wondered why Mikoto couldn't go there.

_Simple,_ She thought warily, _One, it's too far, and two, the old woman probably won't make it another two years._

It was true. It was 1944 now, and if Dianne was still alive and kicking' she would be well over ninety.

It wasn't that Rukia didn't love Mikoto; it was just that the seven year old would have been better off living with someone else. Mikoto understood Rukia and Inoue's work by now, but it was just so hard leaving her alone. Leaving her to think about what would happen if Rukia or Inoue died, or if Mitsuki's sanity was further questioned. She supposed Yoruichi or Urahara would look after her.

Sometimes, it was just _too_ difficult.

"Rukia!" A voice with a heavy French accent called out suddenly, and Rukia looked up questioningly.

There, jogging up towards her, was the new recruit, Kiyone Kotetsu. Over the past month and a half, Rukia and Kiyone had formed a strong friendship.

"Hey Kiyone." Rukia smiled at her friend.

"Have you seen Sentaro... you know... around lately?" She stuttered her words, lightly blushing.

Rukia smiled. Sentaro was a Slayer who usually patrolled Eastern Karakura. Kiyone had been paired up with him on occasion for reconnaissance missions.

Rukia giggled lightly as she remembered how excited Kiyone had been. "Yeah. I think he's at Urahara's office. Giving a report on his latest mission."

"Oh." Kiyone said, smiling a bit. "Okay... um... if you see him around... tell him I'm looking for him!" She practically shouted the last part, and then jogged away. Rukia blinked. Then, she smiled knowingly. "Sure thing Kiyone... sure thing."

She went back to her tuning.

"_Lalalalalalalalala..."_

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**Sakura's POV**

I felt a little better, now that I know what makes Ichigo-san so distant in January and June. He's guilty. But the way Karin-chan described Yuzu and his parents, I'd say they would never want him to feel guilty. I wouldn't. Then again, Senna always said I was too nice.

Speaking of which, were _is_ Senna? I hadn't seen her around the house for days.

I spotted Karin in the kitchen.

"Karin," I called, a bit louder than intended. She turned, and her she smiled. Actually _smiled_. "Yeah, Sa-ku-ra?" She practically sang, going back to her tea.

I was a bit unnerved by this sudden change in attitude.

"Um, have you seen Senna around?"

Her smile dropped, and she stared at me with a mixture of what I assumed was confusion, and repulsion. I knew Karin didn't like Senna very much, but she didn't have to be so obvious about that fact. "No. I haven't, actually. I think she's downstairs." Her voice was icy, and I think I had just killed whatever good mood Karin had.

"Oh. Okay, thanks, Karin." I smiled brightly, trying to lift her spirits, even just a little bit. She weakly smiled back, and nodded me off.

I fast-walked towards the stairs. I don't know why I hadn't checked there. Senna was not only an Oracle, but also a woman of Witch descent. She was always casting spells and summoning who-knows-what down there.

I remember when she first saw the basement. She was so excited.

_"Oh! The first thing I'm gonna do is summon the Guard Dog of Hell! That'll really kick up a ruckus in Karakura!"_

To this day, I still don't know whether or not she was kidding. Luckily, Ichigo was there to stop her if she _did_ try to summon Cerberus. "Sen-na!" I called cheerily, jumping down the oak steps. They made an eerie 'creak' when I moved, and it always sent a shiver up my spine.

"Oh, sweet candle light, of the Great Spirit's sight, please, guide my spell... through it's flight." I heard her voice echo through the stony basement walls. "Senna?" I called once more, a little confused. I turned a corner to find her hovering over a small, beeswax candle.

Suddenly, she blew out the candle, and grabbed a Raven's feather that was sitting to her right, and started to wave it around quickly, effectively blowing away the black smoke.

"Guardian spirit take wing upon the thousand winds and carry my will. Stand over and protect Ichigo. With my will, I wish it so!"

A small flash of light came from outside, along with a loud rumbling noise, and I knew it was raining. Senna sighed heavily, and then looked up at where the candle had been. It was gone, and she smiled. "Thank you," she seemed to whisper, and she then proceeded to collect her things and get ready for bed.

_"Stand over and protect Ichigo."_ Ichigo? He seemed okay. I just saw him in the living room. Why would Senna cast a protection spell for _Ichigo_?

My mind whirred with questions.

Why were Turok Hans and Scourge everywhere nowadays?

Why did Ichigo need protection?

Who _was_ the Chosen One? The supposed savior of the two worlds?

Who was Rukia Kuchiki? And why did Ichigo seem so interested in her?

But most importantly... where was Reiko-san's new reincarnation?

I sighed as I walked up the stairs. Nothing made sense anymore. And after thinking everything over, I decided I could finally blame something.

The noise.

It was the cause of everything.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Flashback**

**Sakura's POV (1839, in Valencia, Spain)**

_**"Nōizu."**_

_"Noi-whatta?" I asked, my eyebrows raised. My grandmother, Summer, laughed at my foolishness._

_**"The Noise, sweetheart."**_

_I was no more than twenty years old at the time, and even then, I barely knew anything about my culture, about the life of Brachen. "That doesn't sound like Spanish," I accused, my eyebrows knitted together like a young child's._

_**"It isn't, it's Japanese, just like your name."**_

_"Sa-ku-raaa...." I hummed my name, and smiled. "It is, isn't it?"_

_She nodded, and smiled kindly. "So, Grandmother, what is the __**Noise**__?" I asked curiously, deciding to play along. I didn't understand the meaning of "Nōizu", but I did understand the term "Noise". 'The Noise' was supposed to have been created about two thousand years ago. It was what created the more civil form of Vampires. It was what separated Hans, Vampires, and Demons alike._

_**"There is an old prophecy that states that once every two thousand years, the 'Noise' would awaken, and wreak havoc on the Earth. It would re- incarnate any and all mystical beings who played important roles in the history of Earth."**_

_I smiled lightly and nodded. "O-kay!" I sang, and saddled my horse, waving her off, ready to go to the ships. I was moving away, to London, England._

_At the time, I really didn't believe her._

_I didn't believe anything, I was so damn naive._

_I just thought the Noise was an old myth used to spook children, like humans and their fear of the Boogeyman or the ghosts in the night._

_Little did I know, it was true. The old stories and folklore my Grandmother and mother used to tell me about. The Noise, Hans, Black Hounds, even Inari the Japanese God of Fertility and Foxes... all of it was true._

_All of it..._

**End POV**

**End Flashback**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Yoruichi's POV**

The Chosen One...

She's really going through a difficult time. Kisuke and I have bought her all the time we could, so she could get back on her feet. But the Hans are closing in way too quickly. Scourge Demons, too. We'll have to re-double her training.

And tell the Higher Rank Officers to keep an eye out for her on any and all missions.

The Chosen one is supposed to be the one to grant life to the dying world.

The Chosen one is supposed to be the strongest Slayer in her generation.

The Chosen One is... Rukia Kuchiki.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Underworld**

"Aizen-sama."

The brown-haired man smiled silkily at his subordinate. "Yes?"

"I know you told me not to say this anymore... but thank you so much. Without you, I'd still be dead." Hinamori Momo smiled brightly at her superior, admiration evident in her dark chocolate orbs. Her smile grew when Aizen cupped her chin.

"Don't mention it, Momo-chan."

Shortly after Momo Hinamori, an heiress who was born in 1593, died by the hand of her lover, Hitsugaya Toshirou, Aizen had found her in the mortuary before her funeral, and so graciously turned her into his personal servant. She had been living in the human world **(See chapter 1, where it describes Rukia's life before becoming a Slayer)** until just recently, when Aizen called her back.

"Now, Momo, do you understand your mission?"

The three hundred and thirty-six year old woman giggled happily. "Of course I do. To kill this girl here, right?" She pointed to an old class photo she received from middle school. Next to her 'twelve year old' self, was a girl, who was shorter than her, but with a face that was more mature. "Rukia-chan!"

He smiled evilly.

"That's correct, Momo."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"You're wrong! I love __Aizen-sama__!"_

Momo.

_"I don't even know your __name__! How could I __possibly__ love you?!_"

You're being deceived.

_"You're nothing more than another Vampire!"_

"I loved you."

It was true, Hitsugaya Toshirou, at one point, was madly in love with Hinamori Momo. But she had betrayed him. She had followed Aizen, just like a puppy would his owner.

_"Don't you remember me?! I loved you! MOMO!"_

_Tears unwillingly fell from both of their eyes. "I don't believe you!" She screamed, and ran out._

He had already lost her once.

Then, he had lost Mitsuki.

He had almost lost Karin to Gin.

Now, Momo Hinamori, the girl he had grown up with, and come to love, was back, and she couldn't even remember him.

"I loved you dammit!" He screeched, slamming his fist's against the hard oak desk. He shook slightly, and swallowed thickly. "Toshirou, be careful." A warning, yet calm voice said behind him. "Karin, what are you doing here?" He asked her, standing up, his anger diminishing slightly.

She smiled weakly at him. "Rangiku let me in. Have you noticed? There's something... different, about her. She seems quieter."

He scoffed, "Around you, maybe."

"Shirou-kun, tell me, who is she? Who did you love?" Karin asked, sincere and full of worry.

Hitsugaya was silent for a long moment. "Her name... was Momo Hinamori. My... my fiancé."

This made Karin stiffen. Fiancé? He was _married_? "You're married?!" She yelled incredulously, jumping up. He stared at her, shocked, and then began to laugh mercilessly.

She looked at him as if he had just gone crazy. "HITSUGAYA! This is _not _funny! If you're married... then why did we... you... I... us... I'm not the type of woman who would intentionally go out with someone else's husband!" She suddenly yelled, cheeks flushed and eyes blazing.

He was still chuckling darkly, and then spoke, "Relax, we aren't engaged, married, or anything like that. She was killed a week before the wedding."

Her eyes instantly softened. "Oh my... I'm so sorry, Shirou. I didn't mean to... I mean, I never wanted it to sound... like you know, how it... sounded..." She stuttered her words, which was very unlike Karin. She _must_ have been embarrassed.

"It's fine. I'm actually the one who did it..."

This got her interested. "Is that so? How?"

He took a long sip of his wine. "Oh, nothing. Just a conversion spell gone bad..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"V-Vampire? Oh, Kisuke, I have absolutely no idea what you mean! Hahaha..." Mitsuki Kuchiki stuttered out, laughing nervously. Her blond friend -and boss- looked at her sternly, his face devoid of any and all emotions.

Just one glare from his dark eyes shut her up.

"Don't be stupid, Mitsuki. You're in serious danger here!"

"Yeah, nice going' idiot!" One of Urahara's assistants, a redheaded boy named Jinta scoffed. "Like we already didn't have a lot on our hands, what with the Chosen Slayer and all that crap. And... HEY! OW, OW, OW! OKAY! I GET IT! I'M SOOOOORRRRYYYY!!!!" Jinta howled when Mitsuki grabbed him by the hair, lifting him into the air.

"Yeah, you better be you little hot-headed punk! And another thing... wait a second, what do you mean, Chosen Slayer?" She asked suspiciously, slowly setting the thirteen year old down.

Urahara took that moment to glare at Jinta, then sighed.

"Mitsuki, you know about your condition, and so do I. Before I answer any more of your questions, have you figured out your affinity*?"

She nodded slightly. "I think so. But it could be a little too early to find out... but I do have a... rather... appropriate guess. I think it may be... rage." She huffed, her eyes closed. She opened one lid to see their reactions.

Urahara had a brow cocked, while Jinta looked a bit nervous, although his brows were furrowed. And his eyes... they were just.... _blazing_.

Mitsuki's mouth watered just looking at the redhead fidget in his place. He saw her gaze and growled somewhat lowly. He looked... angry, yet a little scared, standing there. She was just about to lunge forward and confirm her assumptions when Kisuke spoke.

"I see. And Mit-chan, by the way you're staring at Jinta, I'd say you're absolutely correct."

That made his assistant step back once and gulp audibly.

Mitsuki made a sound that was halfway between amusement and halfway between irritation. "Whatever."

_"Loving and protecting humans can only lead to heartbreak. Sooner or later, you're going to have to leave the world of sunlight, and delve into the world of night."_

Karin had told her this on the night of the conversion.

Mitsuki knew. Kisuke knew. Yoruichi most likely knew.

Her leaving was inevitable. So was defeating the Vampire Hans. Both the Turok Hans and the Scourge Demons wield the power of the Ancients. They were too wise. Too powerful.

"Too... invincible."

"Hm? What was that, Mitsuki?" Urahara asked when he heard her.

"Ah! Nothing! Nothing at all! Ano..."

"Yes?" Urahara asked patiently.

"Who... what was Jinta talking about? About... the Chosen Slayer?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rangiku thought back to her conversation with Gin the night before.

_"Gin."_

_"Rangiku." He still had that sickly smile plastered onto his face, his snake- like eyes boring right into hers'. "You're still following that child Hitsugaya around like a lost puppy? It really is ashame... you know, it's not too late... Aizen-sama really __**would**__ love to have you on his..."_

_"Not a chance in Hell, Gin!" Rangiku suddenly shouted, her fists clenching tightly. "Not a chance... in Hell." Her voice cracked suddenly, and she took in a sharp breath._

_He honestly looked disappointed. "I see. Well... you know where to find us if you ever reconsider." And with that, he was gone, seemingly fading into the darkness of night._

_'You know where to find us.' His words rang in her mind._

_"I'm not going back," Rangiku whispered into the air, looking out the window. "Never. I'm never going back."_

"Ever."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello?"

"Yes. May I speak with miss Mitsuki?" An old, weary voice echoed through the phone.

Mitsuki raised a brow. "Um... speaking. And... may I ask who's calling?" She had just escaped Urahara's office and gotten home, so she was pretty tired.

An old, hollow laugh ripped through the phone line. "Yes, I'm so sorry, deary. My name is Dianne Kusaku."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yoruichi Shihoin groaned softly. She was seated in the park, despite the late hour. "Ishida-san. What are you doing? I thought you were living happily in Osaka." She scoffed.

The middle aged man smirked softly, and lifted his glasses away from his nose. "Came back. I heard there was something strange happening in Karakura, so I wanted to check it out." His hand swayed towards the bejeweled dagger at his hip.

"Well you came at the right time, let me tell you. There are Hans crawling around everywhere." _Hopefully one of them will kill you._

"Ah. Is that so?" _Hopefully I can kill a few, just so I can rub it in your face later._

Ryuken Ishida looked at the normally bubbly -now irritated- woman in front of him. "So... _Slayer_. How is everyone?"

"_Hunter_..." She shot back, irritated. "They're fine. Although I think it would do you well not to see them. Well... at least not Rukia. She's... going through some rough times."

"Really?" The bastard. He actually sounded like he cared. It wasn't that she hated this man. In truth, he was actually very nice and polite... well, to her, anyway. She just hated Hunters in particular. Ryuken Ishida was no exception.

"Well then, I suppose I should be going. Can't keep my son waiting, now can I?"

Yoruichi's eyes widened. "Wait, your so- huh?"

He was gone.

_He was so fast. So... sharp. Almost like he was a Vamp... _She shook her head wildly. No. It couldn't be.

It just couldn't!

...Could it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Affinity-  
Basically a Vampire's preferred taste for blood. Like Mitsuki's was rage, so if she sucked someone's blood, she would suck out all of their rage if she didn't kill them first.**

**PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:**

**_'"You_ _can stop all of this now. Just admit to yourself you don't love him!"_**

_'Love who?!' Rukia mentally screamed, deciding enough was enough._

**_"Ichigo Kurosaki, of course. Just admit this one fact, and I can stop Aizen right now." The little voice echoed. "You don't belong with him. Temperance does. Temperance always did!"_**

_'No… I won't. I don't have to. Because the truth is… I **do** love him. I **do** love Ichigo Kurosaki.'_

She hardly knew him, but he was her world.'

**Whoa... if you guys wanna know what the hell's going on there... REVIEW!!**

**-TMU**


	9. Confessions and Depression

**Chapter nine**

**I don't own anything except my OC's and the plot.**

**A little bit Mitsuki and Mikoto-centered, especially in Misuzu's POV. A new OC and she's SUPER important! But there is some insight on Rukia and some strange news from Ichigo's neck of the woods! Also, EXTREME drama and romance in Part II!**

**I split it into 2 parts because I originally planned this to be two separate chapters, but the second one couldn't go past two thousand words, so I just added the two chappies together!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Confessions and Depression**

**Part one:  
Breeze**

"Toshirou! Oi!" Ichigo called out into the darkness of Hitsugaya's Estate. Rangiku quickly jumped out and shushed him. "Shhh!! Ichigo, please, be quiet. Hitsugaya-sama is currently unavailable. Please talk to me about anything that concerns you or… you know." By 'you know' Ichigo knew she meant the Hans and Scourge.

"Alright, Rangiku." He sighed and looked at her seriously. "I know Toshirou's more in contact with the 'higher-ups' than I am, so he –or you- must know… who is the _Slayer_?"

Rangiku blinked at him. Once. Twice. Then, she laughed. "Oh. Ichigo! You should know, the Slayer hasn't been _chosen_ yet!"

Ichigo sweat dropped. Only Rangiku would say that. Did the woman even know what _year_ it was? "Ran, do you know what year it is?" Ichigo asked the buxom woman.

She smiled. "Sure! It's 1944, right?"

Well, at least she wasn't going senile.

"Yes, and who was the last Slayer?" Ichigo asked patiently. He knew how… _slow_, Rangiku was.

"Oh, um… it was around seventy or so years ago, I think… oh, yeah! Her name was Dia…" Rangiku's silly smile suddenly turned into a worried frown. "Uh-oh. HITSUGAYA!!" She screeched, turning sharply and running towards –what Ichigo assumed was- Toshirou's bedroom.

"Hitsugaya-sama, the Slayers… they…" Rangiku started as she sprinted into her master's room. "The new generation Slayer is… Hitsugaya-sama?" The strawberry blonde stared at her boss with an odd expression.

Hitsugaya was standing next to the giant, Victorian window, his eyes blank and unreadable. "I know, Matsumoto. I know _all_ about it."

* * *

Mitsuki looked around the train station anxiously. _Where is that woman?_

She had gotten a call the day before, from someone named Dianne Kusaku. She had claimed she was Rukia's grandmother, and asked her to pick her up.

"Excuse me, sir," Mitsuki finally gave up looking on her own, and asked one of the attendants. "Um, do you know where platform number eight is?"

He smiled kindly at her, showing off crooked, yellow teeth. "Down there, love. Just take a right at platform six, and keep walking down and past seven. Then take the first right until you see a large "eight" sign." The gray-haired man instructed in a thick English accent.

She huffed lightly, and forced a smile. The Kuchiki girl had had a bit of a rough morning, and looking around for her sister-in-law's grandmother was _not_ a part of her agenda. But the old coot had said she knew something about the Next Generation Slayer, and Mitsuki had wanted to know more after Kisuke filled in most of the gaps the day before. "Thank you, sir." And with that said, she walked off to platform eight.

"Six, seven…" Mitsuki mumbled to herself as she looked at the passing signs. She suddenly felt someone bump against her, and she then found herself on the ground, her trench coat and dress covered in wrinkles and spotted with dirt. "Ouch… what hit me…?" She grumbled and rubbed her back. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

The Slayer looked up, and blinked. In front of her was a man with dark black hair, three scars on his face, and the tattoo '69' on his right cheek. _How odd._ "Are you deaf or something? I asked if you were okay!" The man said again, impatiently.

She immediately jumped up and sweat dropped, ignoring his outstretched hand. "Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, I'm perfectly fine, sir! How about you, though? Are _you_ hurt?" The man shook his head. "Ah, no." She nodded and smiled. "Great. My name's Mitsuki. Mitsuki Kuchiki."

_Kuchiki?_ He smiled. "Hisagi Shuheii, at your service!"

Mitsuki giggled. Despite his appearance, he really was very polite. Then she realized it was just about noon. "Oh, no! She'll be here any second! Hisagi-san, I'm sorry, but I'm going to be late in picking someone up. Hopefully, we'll meet again." She looked at him apologetically, and sprinted off into the eighth terminal.

He stared at her back. "If fate lets us, Kuchiki-san. If fate lets us…" He sighed, and walked to a payphone. "Yes. Can you patch me through with a Mr. Ryuken Ishida? Tell him it's Shuheii." He spent the next few seconds looking at Mitsuki's retreating back as she skipped down the path like a school girl. He immediately felt guilty about his decision.

"Yes…Mr. Ishida, I think… I think I've got her. The other Hunter's will most certainly be pleased… After all, this is the first hybrid our organization encountered in over seventy years."

* * *

"_My name is Dianne Kusaku. Rukia's grandmother. I would love to speak to you in person. After all, it's safe to assume you were one of the people responsible for training my sweet little Rukia to be a cold-blooded killer, right? Not only that, but… I have some information about a certain someone that I'm sure you'd just __**love**__ to get your little half-breed hands on."_

Mitsuki recalled the conversation she and Dianne had earlier. Despite her calling Mitsuki a 'half-breed' the old woman really was nice. She was willing to give out information anyone, Vampire, Slayer, or Hunter alike would want.

Mitsuki's gray orbs kept darting back and forth, trying to find Dianne. Then, her mouth dropped. All Dianne said about her appearance was 'You'll know when you see me'. And man, was she _right_.

It was safe to say, in Mitsuki's case, that Dianne Kusaku and Rukia Kuchiki could be twins. The only difference was a sophisticated looking gray streak (Much like Mitsuki's own) in a silky mass of brown-black hair, and her eyes were a metallic blue. _She really doesn't look all that old. People could mistake her for thirty, maybe forty years old!_ The Kuchiki Slayer thought to herself, watching at the Rukia-look-alike in awe.

Mitsuki snapped out of her revere long enough to go up to the 'old woman' and ask, "Excuse me, ma'am. Are you Dianne Kusaku?"

She looked at Mitsuki suspiciously. "Yes, I am. And who might you be, missy?" Her voice was thick with an English accent.

_Damn. Even her __**voice**__ sounds young!_ Mitsuki gave her half a smile. "Um… I'm Mitsuki. Mitsuki Kuchiki. I think we talked on the phone?" She looked at her, half hoping she was right, and half hoping she was wrong in her assumptions.

Dianne smiled kindly at her. "Ah, yes. Ms. Kuchiki. We did. Come now, I don't think you like standing out here, in the cold." She kept up her smile, and, while dragging her duffle bag behind her, started walking towards the exit.

"Hey! H-hold on a sec!" Mitsuki yelped, trying to catch up with her. "Um, Kusaku-san, if you don't mind me asking, uh… why do you look so… so…"

"Young?" She finished for Mitsuki. "I'll tell you later, Mitsuki-chan. But for now, let's just get to know each other, shall we?"

Mitsuki looked at Dianne, confused, but nodded. "Sure."

* * *

"_If you want to, I can save you; I can take you away from here… so lonely inside, so busy out there. And all you wanted was someone who cares…"_

Rukia sang along to the song playing on her radio. _"I'm sinking slowly… so baby hold me!"_

"Mikoto, sweetie? Are you ready yet? Ukitake-san is going to be here any minute!" Rukia called out. It was Miki's first day of 'home-schooling'. Urahara had decided it would be best if Mikoto was trained to be a Slayer.

A _Slayer_. You know; the people who kill and deceive on a daily basis? The people who are put in life-and-death situations not only with Demons and Vampires, but Hunters as well? The people who are trained with practically _no_ emotions in the workplace?

Yes, _those_ Slayers.

Even though she was one herself, Rukia hated the idea of her niece hiding guns and knives from very dangerous creatures. Rukia became a Slayer because she _had_ to. Not because she _wanted_ to.

_Wow,_ Rukia thought, turning off her radio. _I'm already a better mother than mine ever was._ She shrugged and waited for a reply.

"Alright, okay! I'm ready!" Mikoto yelped as she ran into the living room, clad in a blue spring dress. "Is Ukitake-sensei here yet?"

"No, but he will be, soon!" Rukia smirked as the doorbell rang. "That's probably him!" Mikoto practically jumped at the door. She was pretty excited that she was getting to learn, as she put, 'how to kill the meanie Vampires!'

How cute was that?

Rukia thought it was very cute.

"Hello, Miki-chan!" A man with bluish-white hair and dark brown eyes smiled down at the little seven-year-old. "Ukitake-sensei!" She squealed, hugging him. "Are you going to teach me how to slay those really mean demons?" She asked it as if she were asking him to buy her a toy.

"In about… ten years, maybe." He joked. Actually, most Slayer trainees learn how to kill within the second year of their training. It's actually the second lesson of all the academies and home-schooling Slayer's lessons.

The first is how to stay alive.

Rukia smiled, vaguely remembering asking her sister that question. _She_ had recommended Ukitake.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving so you guys can learn whatever. Just don't burn down the house, okay?" Ukitake thought it was a joke, so he laughed. Rukia shook her head. "I'm serious. If anything goes wrong, Orihime is in the next room over, looking over some medical reports she got from the 4th Division. I'm going to be in town so there will be no possible way to reach me. Ukitake, Miki, please don't make me regret this decision." She smiled, and left.

Mikoto stared at the door, and blinked. Once. Twice. Then…

"What do we do now?"

* * *

"So that's why you look so… well, young." Mitsuki smiled at Dianne. They were seated outside a small café called 'Summer'. Apparently, the 'old' woman was a hybrid, like Mitsuki. She had gotten bitten back in 1871, by a Vampire who went by the name of Grimmjow Jaggerjack. "It really was a shame. He was so nice… well, to me, anyways. Kind of rude towards anyone else. I was dying by one of his comrades… and he gave me immortality." She sighed almost dreamily. "It was like walking on air… did it feel like that with you, too?"

Mitsuki thought back to the night of her conversion. She remembered screaming, an apology from Karin, blinding pain, and what felt like a soft hug from Hitsugaya. Nothing that felt like walking on air. It was more like… drowning in a sea of lava, not being burnt, but feeling the burning. She shivered. "N-no. Not really."

Dianne nodded in understanding. "You probably were feeling hatred, maybe betrayal if it was so painful. If it had a dull aching feeling about a day afterwards, you were feeling confused, maybe even lonely. But if you felt happy, euphoric, like I did, you were glad you were turned into what you are." She offered a smile. "Mitsuki, have you ever heard of the Kousen no Shinku Yuki*?"

Mitsuki nodded. "I think so. Wasn't it a war between Vampires, Slayers, Hunters, and Shifter Demons back in the 1870's?"

Dianne nodded solemnly. "Yes. It was. Kauri-kun's son, Kisuke, told you about the 'Generation Slayer', right?"

"Some of it…" Mitsuki mumbled, sipping her tea. "He told me she was the most powerful Slayer of her time." Dianne nodded. "That's correct. In truth, the Generation Slayer isn't _always_ revealed. Sometimes, it can take decades before the next one is called forth." She laughed lightly, stirring her coffee. "I was the Generation Slayer nearly seventy years ago."

Mitsuki almost choked. "H-huh?!"

Dianne nodded. "Yep... and, there's something else you need to know about Aizen."

* * *

"_**So… it seems the Slayer has awoken yet again."**_

Rukia's head shot up, and the store clerk in front of her looked at the Kuchiki woman oddly. "Are you okay, Rukia?" The woman knew Rukia from her many visits to the store. The Slayer nodded. "Um, yeah… I just thought I heard someone say my name… I'm fine, Hari." Rukia laughed awkwardly.

"_**She is said to combat all forces of darkness. She is said to be the savior of the Earth."**_

Rukia shook out the voices yet again. They seemed so familiar… like they were here to help her. Like she knew and could trust whoever these people were. But she couldn't tell who they were, or if they were old family or friends.

"_**She is you, Rukia Kuchiki. You are the Slayer."**_

Rukia bit her lip, holding back a scream that came with a pounding headache.

* * *

"_Rukia_…" Matsumoto sighed in exasperation. She finally remembered the petite girl from her years as a 'human'. Hitsugaya had sent her to a normal middle school for a while, to try and find the next Generation Slayer. And oh yes, Matsumoto found her. She just never realized it.

Until now, that is.

"Damn it," Rangiku cursed, and dropped the class photo into the fireplace.

She needed her sake.

* * *

**Present Day, 2009**

**Misuzu's POV**

Ichiru was such a sweet girl. Reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age.

I walked through the crowded streets, stopping in front of a large, white building. Osaka's psyche ward. I walked into the depressing building, and smiled at the receptionist, Yuki. "Hey, Yuki." She smiled brightly at me. "Hello, Misuzu! I didn't see you here last week. Busy with work?"

I nodded. It was a lie. In all my years of life, I never really grew accustomed to lying, even though I do it every day to survive this cruel world. "Yeah… how is she? Any better?"

Yuki shook her head sadly. "Well… she was recalling some _real_ past events. Not just silly hallucinations. She was saying something about a girl named Rukia… and a young man named Toshirou. Do you know who they are?"

I looked down. "Rukia… was her sister. Toshirou was her… _best_ friend." I looked back up, and smiled. "I'll be back in about twenty, okay? Can you… make sure no one bothers us? I want to ask her a few more questions."

"Okay, Misuzu…"

I walked down the hall towards _her_ room. _Mitsuki Kuchiki's_ room. I opened her door, and walked in quietly. She was sitting up in bed, staring blankly out the window. I offered her a smile as I closed and locked the door behind me. I finally let the spell drop. My gray eyes turned amethyst, and my blonde hair went black.

I was Mikoto again.

"Hey, auntie Mitsuki!" I chirped, hoping she'd recognize my voice.

She did.

"Miki?" Her voice was hoarse. She called my name once, twice, three times. She was still staring out the window. "How's Rukia doing?" Her mind is still caught in that time. In December, 1944, in Karakura Town. I decided to, yet again, save her whatever's left of her sanity.

"She's great. You know, she really misses you. So does Hitsugaya." I lied again. Hitsugaya doesn't miss her. He tries to forget her. Since the war… my life, Mitsuki's life, everyone's life, was a living hell.

"I miss them, too!" She laughed. I miss her laughs. Not this one, though. Her laughs nowadays are empty, hollow, and devoid of any emotion. The Mitsuki _I'll_ always remember was so full of smiles… so full of kindness. So… not _this_.

I smile bitterly. "Miki… before I forget, happy birthday. A girl only turns eight once, right? I promise you, once I get out of here, you, and I will go on an all-out shopping spree! I'll even drag Toshirou along!" She says this every week. Every _damned_ week. She still sees me as a little eight year old. My hair in pigtails, skipping around in a cute little winter dress.

I'm a woman now. I look nearly twenty-eight, now. A full grown, Vampire.

It's true. Hitsugaya did it, at my request. I wanted to live. Be immortal. I have to look after Mitsuki, and whatever's left of my family. I have to find, and help train the next Slayer. Now that Yoruichi and Urahara are gone, I have to.

I _have_ to.

"I'm looking forward to that. Well… I got to go. I'll come by again, next week, okay?" She nods, and I sigh. This is just too painful.

I quickly walk out the door, and almost immediately bump into someone. I growl upon seeing who it is. "Hitsugaya Toshirou. What are _you_ doing here?" My voice is dripping with venom. He gives me half a smile. "Just came to say 'hi'."

"She hasn't changed in nearly _sixty-seven_ years. You haven't even spoken about her in fifty of those sixty-seven! And you have the _nerve_ to come _here_?!" I was overcome with rage. He didn't care about her. Hell, _I_ barely cared about her! She actually dared to go _mentally insane_, and leave me all alone in the world?! My eyes welled up with tears as my mind caught up with what I was thinking.

I was still glaring daggers at him. He just looked at me calmly. Now I know what made Mitsuki hate him so much. He _was_ a cold-hearted bastard.

I sped past him. I ignored him entirely. I heard him whisper…

"_I'm sorry."_

I didn't care. He was so full of shit. His apologies don't mean anything.

Not anymore.

**End POV**

* * *

**April 01, 1944**

Mikoto stared up at her bedroom ceiling. "Auntie Mitsuki … auntie Rukia…" She whispered, curling up into a small ball. And, after reviewing the dream she had just had, peered at the small, bedside alarm clock. Squinting in the darkness, she saw it was nearly three in the morning. Mikoto smiled bitterly. Too early to bother Rukia.

She tensed; something was watching her… something…

She shook her head and forced herself to relax. Nothing was there… nothing… absolutely nothing…

And with that one thought, she closed her amethyst eyes, and did not fall asleep.

The feeling of someone observing her never left.

"Where's Ichigo?" Senna asked one quiet Saturday morning.

"Don't know. Probably at Hitsugaya's again." Karin shrugged.

"Do you like Ichigo, Senna?" Sakura asked the violet haired woman. Karin stopped flipping through TV channels. Senna stopped flipping through her Book of Shadows. "Excuse me, Sakura?" Her voice was cold, and unpleasant.

"I saw the spell you cast." Was all Sakura said, her voice also blisteringly cold. "'To Protect a Lover', huh?" Her eyes were cold, and she was staring at Senna with murderous intent. Reiko loved Ichigo. Reiko's soul loved Ichigo. Whoever was Reiko's reincarnation was Ichigo's soul mate.

"Tell me, are you Reiko? Are you truly Reiko's reincarnation? If you are, I guess I can't stop you. But if you aren't, just know that you will never… ugh!" Sakura was cut off as Senna lunged at her, choking the Brachen girl.

"Damn you, you little bitch! Tell me, what does that wench Reiko have that I don't?!" Sakura glared at the Demon currently strangling her. "You're cursing a dead woman, Senna!" She screamed, and Senna stopped, her eyes wide with insanity and guilt.

"_Temperance_ should have been the one to get Ichigo… _she_ should have been his _only_ one. But that damn bastard... he just had to screw _everything_ up… by falling in love with _Reiko_. You should have seen that poor woman's face when he announced their marriage."

"_Reiko and I will soon be getting married!"_

"He was so… _happy_. I hated it. And if he hadn't made poor little Temperance cry that day… I most likely never would have snapped. She was _sobbing,_ Sakura. _Sobbing!_ She would have gone insane if Gin and I hadn't…" Senna immediately realized her error.

"Hadn't _what_?" Karin finally spoke. "What did you _do_, Senna?" Her eyes were blazing with a fiery rage.

"Senna…" Sakura whispered, rubbing her neck carefully.

"Nothing… I'll be right back…" And with that said, Senna grabbed her black trench coat, and made for the door.

Neither Karin nor Sakura tried to stop her. "How much did you hear?" Sakura murmured, turning to the door that led to the kitchen. Ichigo walked out, a stoic look on his face. "More than enough." He muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Now do you believe us? Now do you believe us when we say Senna _is_ Temperance?" Karin asked her brother, turning off the television.

He looked back at his sister and comrade. Then, he looked at a piece of paper in his hands, ten numbers scrawled across it. "Yes. I do."

* * *

"_**This is a crime. Falling for a Vampire is strictly forbidden. Do you know why that is? It's because this kind of love only leads to intense heartbreak. Take my advice, and don't make the jump. Don't fall off this cliff, thinking that**__ monster __**is there to catch you."**_

The voices inside her head… the once soothing, warm whispers had turned into screams and warnings, threats and battle cries.

"_**If you truly love someone, then don't hesitate. But don't think for a second that they will **__ever__** love you back."**_

It had been three weeks since they first appeared, at the supermarket. And Rukia was going _crazy_.

"Kuchiki?" Rukia looked up and saw two worried, golden amber eyes. "Oh, hi, Yoruichi. Yeah, I'm fine… just a bit… stressed out. Um… any new missions I could take? The peace is kind of working my nerves." She laughed sheepishly, toying with her fingers.

Yoruichi shook her head. "Nothing that needs immediate attention." She shrugged. "Why don't you take a training day with Urahara and me?"

Rukia thought about it. It _would_ get her mind off of these stupid voices.

"That sounds great."

* * *

Mitsuki sighed heavily as another Turok-Han turned to ash. _Damn, what's with all these things?!_

"I'm surprised the Slayer's aren't here yet. They're usually so _fast._" Mitsuki commented as Dianne walked up behind her. "Yes, they are. But you should know by now, Vampires and Demons are more acute to sensing these things than humans, even if they are Slayers."

"I guess so," Mitsuki giggled, wiping sweat from her brow. "Hey… Dianne, when Grimmjow bit you, did you get… visions, of some sort? When you were sleeping? Like dreams, only they felt _so_ real?"

The ex-Slayer shook her head. "Sorry. Can't say I did. Why? Getting some premonitions? I've heard of occurrences like that, but never experienced it." She shrugged. "Why don't we get back to your training? You need to be physically and mentally prepared. As a matter of fact, so does Rukia. I'll have to help Urahara and Shihoin with that later." She giggled, and pointed to something behind Mitsuki.

"Heads up! Lizard Demons, ten o' clock!"

"_**Do you seriously want to do this?"**_

Rukia panted as she dodged more of Yoruichi's attacks. Damn… they didn't call her the Goddess of Flash and Speed for nothing.

"_**You can stop all of this now. Just admit to yourself you don't love him!"**_

'_Love who?!' Rukia mentally screamed, deciding enough was enough._

"_**Ichigo Kurosaki, of course. Just admit this one fact, and I can stop Aizen right now." The little voice echoed. "You don't belong with him. Senna does. Senna always did!"**_

'_Ichigo… what does Strawberry have to do with…?"_

"WHOA!" Rukia yelped as she lost her footing, dodging Yoruichi's katana. The dark-skinned woman smirked triumphantly. "You let your guard down, Kuchiki."

"_**Admit it. Admit it…" The voice was persistent.**_

'_No… I won't. I don't have to. Because the truth is… I __**do**__ love him. I __**do**__ love Ichigo Kurosaki.'_

Where did _that_ come from? She hardly knew the man, yet she felt as though she could trust him with her life. He was like her world.

"_**You're going to regret this. You'll regret this when you're laying face-down on the ground, blood spewing from your mouth." And then, the voice was gone.**_

Rukia sheathed her katana. "Damn it…" She muttered.

"Rukia?" Yoruichi's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Yeah, Yoruichi?" She responded back, toying with a loose strand of hair from her ponytail.

"You know the old stories about… the Generation Slayer, right?"

Rukia nodded slowly. "Why?"

"Oh, I just ask because if you do, that'll make this conversation much easier."

* * *

Part 2:  
Ocean

_**You never did mean to look at me like that…  
with so much longing…  
Right…?  
"You've got to stop this,"  
I whispered with all my might.  
And after that, you left me,  
and my heart trembled,  
with unimaginable misery.  
I never should have asked you… to make sure we stay apart.  
All I know is, when we meet again,  
you will ask and say,  
"Can't we pretend? For just one more day?"**_

_Flashback_

_Yoruichi looked at the piece of paper in her hands._

"_Mission number 0283, codename: Tenshi. A two-man squad mission. Who was sent, Special Ops Force or Speed Force?"_

_Urahara sighed. "Special Ops Force number thirty-two, Inoue Orihime and Rukia Kuchiki."_

**_-_-_Meanwhile_-_-_-_**

"_Ichigo Kurosaki, stay right where you are." A hoarse, worn voice called, accompanied by the sound of a gun being loaded._

_The orange haired Vampire turned slowly, coming face to face with the raven-haired woman who had been following him for nearly eight miles. Her violet eyes were shimmering with hate, and her gun was pointed at his chest._

"_Kurosaki-san, do you know why you're here?" She continued when he was silent. "You're here, to pay for your crimes." She took two steps forward. "You have a soul, a heart…" She continued, taking three more steps. "You should know where I'm getting at."_

_After a moment, he spoke. "I do. Rukia." He said, using her first name. "And I've atoned for my sins."_

"_How? You're not dead." She stated, stepping forward until there was no less than four feet between them. She pressed her gun right up against his chest._

"_You… have no idea what it feels like to do the things I've done… and actually care." He breathed the words, as if just being near her would kill him._

_Then again, it probably would._

_Her voice was quiet. "Don't I? You may have killed many, but so have I. I've killed children, men, woman… even my own superior officer, Kaien Shiba." Rukia shrugged. "But seriously, what's one more?" She asked him as she gripped the gun tighter._

_He placed a hand on top of Rukia's'. "I used to think like that. That I've already killed, what's one more? But soon, that one turned into one __**hundred**__." He carefully took the gun from her hands. Rukia glared at the Vampire, who was now staring at her with emotionless eyes._

"_You may be right, but I…"_

"_ICHI-NII!" A shrill voice called, and Rukia tensed. "Damn it…" She cursed, and almost immediately unsheathed her dagger, pressing it roughly to Ichigo's throat. "Might as well finish this up quickly." She whispered, and was just about to slice open his neck, when…_

_Light._

_A light stopped her. She heard a voice echo, "Don't." And, then, the next thing Rukia knew, she was in her room._

_She couldn't remember anything._

"I remember… everything."

Rukia was staring at her ceiling, blinking back tears. "That was… five… five years ago today…" She choked lightly on her quiet sobs, and brought her knees up to her stomach, burying her face in her hands. "Oh my God… what am I going to do?"

"Rukia?" It was Inoue. Her gray eyes were torn between confusion and worry. She took a few steps forward, and sat down on the couch next to her friend.

"Are you alright?"

* * *

"_Ichigo… good luck."_

The Kurosaki's eyes snapped open. That sounded a lot like…

Reiko.

He shook his head wildly. It couldn't have been.

"Ichigo-san?" A sweet voice asked, full of concern. Ichigo looked up from his position on the couch, to be met with two worried, blue-green irises. Sakura. "Uh… yeah, Sakura?" She looked at him for a few moments before gently touching his cheek with her soft hand.

"Are you okay? You're crying…"

Ichigo gasped and quickly wiped away the water dripping from his eyes. Ichigo Kurosaki, one of the Underworld's _most elite_ Vampires, did _not_ cry. "I'm fine. And I'm _not_ crying."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, a stoic expression on her face. Then, her brows knitted in a worried frown. "If you say so. But just remember, if you ever need anything, Karin and I will _always_ be there to help."

He nodded quickly, and made for his room. "Damn it… Rukia…"

* * *

**April 1, 1944 11:22 PM**

Rukia hesitated. For the first time in God knows how long, she hesitated.

She bit her lip.

She tried to calm trembling hands.

She felt her knees buckle.

Then, gathering whatever courage she had, grasped the phone in her hand tightly, and proceeded to dial the number she had long-since memorized.

_622-639-482…_

* * *

"Telephone! Bro, it's for you," Karin smiled lightly as Ichigo took the phone.

"Hello?"

It was silent. Then…

"…_Hey."_

* * *

Rukia's stomach was in knots. Why did she do this?

Oh, right. The _truth_.

"Listen… Ichigo, I know this is really sudden, but… could you… I don't know… come and meet me at the park? In an hour, maybe?"

"_Sure. Hey, Rukia, where are you? I don't hear anything. Usually when we talk I can hear some sort of noise in the background."_ Rukia's violet eyes drifted from left to right. "I'm not home. I'm using a payphone. It… It's too noisy…"

She was lying. She just needed to hear his voice. And ask him so many questions, without attracting Inoue or Mikoto's attention.

"_Oh… okay. Karakura Park, ten o' clock, right?"_

She swallowed thickly. "Perfect." Why did it feel like someone was… _watching_ her?

"Actually, Ich," She stopped him from hanging up.

"_Yeah, Ru?" _

She was silent. She was listening for footsteps… heavy breathing… _something_.

_Anything._

"…Please, hurry."

The line went dead.

* * *

"Inoue-san."

"Yes, Miki?" Inoue asked the young girl, busily chopping away at a tomato. Dinner was over. She just needed something to do. "Is something wrong?"

Mikoto looked outside with blank eyes. "No. It's going to rain soon." Inoue turned around and saw the approaching storm clouds from outside the window. She smiled weakly. "Ah. So it is. Looks like it'll be a hard one! I hope Rukia get's home alright…"

Mikoto nodded, barely registering the auburn-haired healer's words.

"Me, too."

"Hey, how about we watch a movie? Doesn't that sound fun?"

Mikoto's eyes hardened and she shook her head. "No. It doesn't."

"Okay, then what do you want to do?" Orihime smiled weakly, washing the cutting board and knife.

"I want to go see Auntie Mimi."

* * *

"Ichigo, thanks for coming out so late." Rukia smiled almost weakly at her companion.

"No problem. What did you want to talk about that we couldn't talk about over the phone?" He asked, motioning for her to walk with him around the park. He quietly slipped his hand into her cold one. "Well… quite a few things, really. First of all, do you know what a Slayer is?"

He visibly tensed. "I might. Why?"

Rukia sighed, eyeing the 'young man' at her side. "A Slayer is someone who kills Demons. Vampires, Goblins, Ghouls, Ghosts, I could go on."

"I see." His voice was quiet, and nearly emotionless. "You don't seem so surprised," Rukia accused in the same quiet tone. "Why is that, _Vampire_?" She spat the last word like venom.

Ichigo's eyes widened. In that one instant, she sounded so much like…

"_Tell me__**, Vampire**__."_

"Reiko."

Rukia looked at him with cold violet eyes. "Excuse me?" She asked, glaring at him now. He stared back with wide eyes. "You… you can't be… but… you're…"

He pictured Reiko's smiling face, and then looked to Rukia's scowling features. "Reiko," He breathed, and then he remembered her last question. _'Why is that, __**Vampire**__?' _He took a step back. "How in the world did you…"

"Know that?"

This was bad. Very, very bad. Here was a Slayer, his mortal enemy, quite possibly armed, and here he was, defenseless, and he could never lay a hand on her with his new found knowledge. "You called me Reiko." She stated blankly.

"Wasn't she a Slayer, about one thousand years back?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms. She didn't appear to want to kill him, but Ichigo still had to stay on his toes. "I'd heard she got together with a Vampire, but I never would have thought it'd be _you_." She shrugged. "So, what was it? A reincarnation bind? Her sister was a priestess. It wouldn't have been hard." She huffed, and walked past him. "Get over here, Ichigo. I'm not gonna kill you. I'm as mad as hell, though."

"What exactly did you think?" She started when he caught up with her. "That _I_ was her reincarnation?" She stared at him coldly, and then sighed. "Never mind."

"No. Not never mind. You were absolutely correct. I _did_ think that. Actually, I _know_ you're her reincarnation." He said stubbornly, staring at her intently. The blazing eyes, constant mood swings, ebony hair, violet irises, petite frame… everything was so _Reiko_, but at the same time, so _not_.

"I'm _not_!" She screeched as lightning flashed. "I'm _not_ her, Ichigo!" She was near tears. "I'm… _n-not…_" She was glaring at him fiercely. "Ichigo Kurosaki, _I am_ Rukia _fucking_ Kuchiki! _Not _your sappy little fairytale girlfriend who claimed she'd be 'reborn' every generation! _I_ am my own person! This isn't some fairytale! This is _real_ life. And no matter how much it hurts, you've got to learn. There are no _happy endings_ in real life." She choked on a strangled sob.

"It must've been nice. Living in denial for all those years…" She laughed bitterly. "I just wish… I had enough willpower to do just what you did, even just for a bit. Maybe… just maybe… I'd have been able to save myself from the heartbreak." She smiled weakly at him. "Is that what you did, Ichigo?"

She sounded so… broken.

He wanted to prove her wrong. He _needed_ to prove her wrong. He caught her by the shoulders, and did something totally unexpected.

He kissed her.

_This is so wrong,_ he mentally screamed. _She'll end up just like Reiko! Do you want that?!_

_No. _His mind's other half fought back. _I don't… I love her… I love her more than I ever loved Reiko…_

"_I'm __**not**__ her!"_

Ichigo stiffened. She wasn't. There never was any 'reincarnations'. Every woman he thought to be Reiko, was another girl, who he forced himself to love. It was in that moment her realized Reiko lied. She just wanted him to be happy. _"I'm sorry… Rei… but I've found someone new. Someone new…"_ He apologized mentally, kissing Rukia harder.

Rukia's eyes were closed. She was in shock, most defiantly, but she was enjoying it. _My… god… this is so… wrong. But then why does it feel so totally __**right**__? _Rukia asked herself this question, and quickly grabbed his shirt collar. For a second, he feared she'd push him away. But instead, she broke off and whispered…

"Help me understand how you can still love me, even though you now know I'm not her."

And as she said that one sentence, and as Ichigo grabbed her hand, pulling her to God-knows-where, Rukia wasn't so sure anymore. She wasn't so sure she could call herself pure after tonight. And no matter how confident, how much fool-proof arrogance she held, she was almost positive about it.

She was certain the next morning, when she awoke in Ichigo's arms.

She was no longer human.

* * *

Yoruichi looked through the glass window, watching the steady rise and fall of Mitsuki's chest, and the spiking heart monitors. Her heart had skipped nearly five beats, at one point. Yoruichi sighed, looking at Dianne. "Dia, what the hell are you doing here?" She sighed, looking at the retired Slayer.

"Just passing through!" She looked at Mitsuki. "Poor kid… she's never gonna make it."

Yoruichi smirked. "You'd be surprised… that 'kid' is surprisingly strong-willed. After all…" She looked at Orihime, who was sitting with Mikoto, who looked absolutely terrified. "She has someone who can't afford to be left alone."

Dianne sighed. "Maybe…"

* * *

**Not entirely sure how people are going to react to this chapter, but okay, yeah… one of the LONGEST chapters EVER.**

***War of Crimson Snow-  
The War in Dianne's generation. It was so bloody, it was names 'Crimson Snow' because of it.**

**The poem for part 2 was written by me! It's entitled, "Just One More Night". If you want to use it, be my guest. Just give me credit! Haha…**

**And for the whole Mitsuki-Mikoto-Toshirou love/hate thing, I might fix it… or just kill Mitsuki and be done with it. ****Killing her is so much easier, but it's up to you guys! And Rukia… she's **STILL ALIVE** in the 'present' timeline. I'm just saving her until the end.**

**Okay... plz review. Do you seriously want me to leave it here?**

**Okay, people… time for me to log off.**

**-TMU, out.**


	10. Summer Miracles

**I don't own anything used in Tenshi except my OC's.**

**The song Rika sings from Ichigo's dream is Negeki no Mori from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.**

* * *

**Chapter ten:  
Summer Miracles**

**I wanted to be like you  
I wanted everything so I tried to be like you,  
and I got swept away  
I didn't know that it was so cold and  
You needed someone to show you the way  
So I took your hand and, we figured out that,  
When the tide comes I'd take you away.**

**-All You Wanted by Michelle Branch**

_**One month after chapter nine…**_

**May 23, 1944**

Rukia's hand quivered as she brushed her ebony hair. She was so stupid… to actually accept _immortality_? To accept _him_? Truth be told, after Ichigo had kissed her, the rest of the night had been a blur. One, big, _blur_. All she remembered was blood. A lot of blood, among other things and feelings.

Things that really shouldn't have to be explained.

Rukia's hand drifted from her hair to her stomach. Unohana, Tokyo's top nurse, was _never_ wrong. Yet, she had to be. Just _once_. _This_ was a _mistake_. This… _thing_ they had made… was all a _mistake_. A hybrid by blood. Not by spells. Not by conversion. By blood.

A baby. A baby Vampire. A baby human. A baby _monster_.

Of course, no matter what, Rukia would love the child, but she could never truly _love_ it, knowing that the little life inside her could one day kill due to blood thirst and its Vampire heritage.

She would have to kill it.

Now.

Rukia's hand drifted towards the metal coat hanger. She would do it the way everyone else in the 40's handled abortions. But… who? Who would help? Unohana wouldn't permit it, or her assistants, Hanatarou or Isane. Inoue would rather kill herself than kill a baby. Kisuke and Yoruichi would rather die than put their best Slayer and her baby in jeopardy, no matter what it grew up to be. Mitsuki was…

Sick.

But she was the only one Rukia knew who would understand thoroughly.

Without thinking, Rukia stood, and sped out of the room. "Damn it, I have to do this…" She tried to convince herself that this was _right_. In her twenty-three years of life, Rukia had taught herself never to trust the beings of the next world. She had taught herself how to never get close enough to form any sort of feelings towards anyone.

Any_thing_.

Yet, she had fallen in love with her mortal enemy.

"Mitsuki!" Rukia screeched her voice hoarse as she bounded into the room. Kiyone looked up, surprised at her friend's sudden outburst. Rukia took a second to look around the room. There were boxes everywhere, and a stack of important looking papers on her desk.

"Kiyone… what are you… where is…"

Kiyone sighed. "Rukia, I'm so sorry. But… Mitsuki is… she's dead, Rukia."

Rukia's eyes had a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Wh…what?"

"It was heart failure. Remember her admittance into the hospital last month? Well, she was already having trouble breathing, and her heart had started skipping a few beats." She started quietly, but loud enough so Rukia could hear her. "And yesterday… it just stopped all together. The doctor said it could have been anxiety, stress… whatever. It just… stopped."

Rukia didn't say a word; she just stood still and dropped her head so her face was shadowed.

"Get out." Her voice was quiet, hoarse. But Kiyone could hear her. "Get out."

Kiyone immediately complied, speeding out of the room and shutting the door behind her. As soon as she was alone, Rukia dropped to her knees, and sobbed. She didn't cry, though. Not once. Ever. She just sat there, rocking back and forth, trying to calm herself. She had to. She also had to look over the facts.

Her sister was dead.

She was pregnant with what most would consider a 'demon child'.

Rukia would go insane if this turned out not to be a dream.

Ichigo was…

_Ichigo_.

Would _he_ help her? It was _his_ child, after all. Then again… maybe he was like Rukia. Maybe he wanted it, but at the same time, didn't.

Just _maybe_.

It was decided. The next day, she would look for him. She would.

* * *

"So… where is she?"

Urahara looked at his companion. "Mitsuki? She's fine. In Osaka. I've got a friend there named Hiyori. Her father founded the psych ward there."

"How fun… wait a second, I thought Hiyori hated you." Yoruichi stated, a brow raised. Urahara nodded. "She does. She just owes me for saving her life about twenty years back." He shrugged. "Poor kid, if she ever _does_ regain her sanity, it'll be hell for her to find out what happened." Urahara sighed wearily. "Damn it…"

"It was the right thing to do, Kisuke. She was being stalked by Vampires, not to mention that… incident, last month." Yoruichi sat next to her best friend. "I'm just concerned about Rukia. You do realize she's… _with child_, don't you?"

"If any of it involves me waking up in the morning's early hours due to the sound of puking, yes, I do." He laughed humorlessly.

Yoruichi enjoyed these moments. It was the closest thing to peace they'd ever have. "Do you know who the father is, though?"

Urahara sighed heavily, his worry growing. "Please, don't tell me it's Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

**Present Day, March, 2009**

**Unknown POV**

It's spring again.

'The start of a new beginning' as some would say. But no, there are no new beginnings in this day, this age.

"I know you're gonna kick those idiot's asses. I just wish that I'd be there to see it."

The look on his face when I said those final ten words was heartbreaking, and the moment they left my lips, I couldn't help the clenching feeling in my already bruised heart. I cried silent tears that night. It was nearly four months since the war, and I was leaving.

For good.

It's all Reiko's fault. I know I shouldn't say that, I'm cursing a dead woman. But, really, it **was** all her fault. Ichigo's too. If they hadn't been so selfish, the Hans... the Scourge... would have never...

I'm crying again.

"Damn it..." I curse, and bite my lip so hard, I draw blood.

I was born a human.

I became a Slayer.

I was converted into a Vampire.

What a busy life I lead.

"Karin." I say as she enters the room. "Lovely evening, isn't it?"

She nods slowly. The dark-haired former Kurosaki doesn't go outside anymore. Her face is deathly pale, making her hair and eyes stand out. She still tries to keep in touch with the styles of the 40's, being dressed in a dark blue dress suit.

I, though, have a more modern style. Green and white tee shirt, with dark-wash jeans. Karin looks at me distastefully. "Must you always wear such horrid outfits?" She asks me, wincing. I scoff. "Of course, it would look odd if I'm seen walking the streets in something like..." I pause. "That." I say bluntly, pointing at her outfit.

Karin sighs and I shrug.

"How is Hitsugaya-kun?" I ask after a moment of silence. Karin sits next to me, sighing tiredly. "My idiot husband? He ran into Mikoto-chan the other day. He was visiting you-know-who. I feel so bad for her. Sixty-five years, and she's still psycho."

My eyes harden slightly. "She isn't psycho, and you know it. In fact, it _**is**_ Toshirou's fault. If he hadn't done what he did..."

"If he didn't do what he did, both he and Mitsuki would be dead."

I shrug again, leaning back on the couch. "You may be right, Karin. You may be right."

Karin sighs, and looks at me. "Why don't you ever go see...?" I don't let her finish. "You know exactly why I don't visit him. His daughter is dead, his lover was nearly killed, and he doesn't even care!"

I get up, wanting to leave.

"He cares. He truly does. He just never knew how to say it."

My eyes widen at the familiarity of the conversation.

**END POV**

* * *

**Mitsuki's POV**

_Why is it that I'm so calm? So... carefree? It's both comforting, and unnerving. It's like... I'm the only one who's happy. So... blissfully happy._

_I hate it._

_I love it._

_Hitsugaya... do I hate him? I thought I had gotten over that long ago... I love him, right? He's like the little brother I never had._

_Byakuya... how long has it been since I last thought of him? Nearly... seventy years._

_Wait... seventy? No, it's only been about ten years. For twins, we were never really close. Well, we were, but we never spent any __**real**__ quality time together. I was always the happy-go-lucky little sister of Byakuya Kuchiki. And then... there was Bya-kun. He was always stern, yet... playful, in a weird way. Mom and dad always favored him over me. So did everyone else at school._

_Nobody knew my name. No one even looked at me twice until they found out who I was. In the morning, no one would say, "Ohayo, Mitsuki-chan!" Instead, it would be, "Oh, look! That's Byakuya Kuchiki's sister!" And, along with that was, "He has a sister?" and, "Yup! They're twins!"_

_It was only when my parents got their divorce that I was finally able to get some recognition. I made new friends in Hisakumori. I had re-built my life._

_After the move, I never saw my big brother Byakuya again._

_Nearly five years after we moved, I suddenly asked my mother, "Mom, can we go see Byakuya?" She had looked at me sadly. "Sorry sweetheart. But that would mean seeing your father." She had looked at me with this odd expression, and I dropped the subject._

_She died four and a half months later._

_I can't really remember what had happened after I met my sister-in-law. I can't remember anything. Nothing at all. My memories just blurred together, running like wet paint on a blank canvas._

_The only thing I can remember before I came here was a baby's cry._

_A baby girl._

"Rika." I whisper, finally coming back from dream land. My voice is hoarse. The nurse at my side, Haruno, I think her name is, looks at me oddly. "I'm sorry, Miss Kuchiki, what was that? Who's Rika?"

Even I don't know. I just keep saying that name. Over and over. Like a prayer.

"Rika... Rika..." And then, all of a sudden, I'm screaming, thrashing around in the hospital bed. I only know this because I can hear the nurse shouting, "Doctor! Doctor!" and I feel my throat get unimaginably sore.

"NO!" I scream harder, and I can feel myself crying, sobbing, even. I feel my shoulders being shaken, and then a strange substance is being shot into my neck. I fall back onto the pillow, my eyes wide, and blank. I can't see, I can't feel, I can't even speak real words. I can only hear. I can only say one word.

"No... No... No... No..." I repeat it just like I repeated the name 'Rika'.

I hear a voice that, strangely, makes my blood boil. It's Hitsugaya.

I get some of the feeling back into my body. I know this because I can feel _him_ hugging me tightly, like the way a brother would his frightened sister. "Calm down... Mitsuki. Everything's going to be okay."

I just keep sobbing. I try to say, "I know," But it just comes out as another frightened cry. I just keep crying, weakly trying to push him away. Mikoto's here now, as I start to regain my vision. I look at her, and my heart nearly stops.

She's no longer eight. She's a young lady, clad in a beautiful sun dress.

I keep crying, and can't stop. I can't say anything. The tears won't stop. I keep sobbing.

I start to wonder if I'll ever stop.

* * *

**June 5, 1944**

**Underworld**

"Aizen-sama!" Hinamori called, breathless. "Is it almost time? You-know-who is getting restless!" She sang almost cheerily.

Her superior grinned.

"I know."

* * *

It was a strangely quiet night. Not at all like the fight-filled, blood ridden evenings Rukia usually had. No, tonight was calm. Tonight was peaceful.

Peaceful enough to sleep without any nightmares.

_**Dream**_

_Rukia looked around. She was in what looked like a forest. She looked down, and blinked twice. She was in a weird type of clothes, a kimono with pitch black sleeves, although the rest was white. "Hello?" She called; half-hoping someone would answer. "Hello!?" She called again; louder._

"_So... you're Kuchiki Rukia."_

_The Slayer turned swiftly, and came face-to-face with... herself? "What the hell..." Rukia breathed, and took a step back. "Who are you?"_

_The Rukia look-alike chuckled. "I'm Reiko. Reiko Kazuki." She smiled kindly at Rukia, taking a step forward. She was wearing almost the exact same robe as Rukia, except she had white sleeves, and the rest was black._

_The two women started to circle each other. "Reiko, huh?"_

_She nodded slyly. Realization soon dawned on Rukia's face. "...A Slayer?"_

_Reiko stopped, and nodded, her face passive. "The first." She paused, "Well, technically, the second. My sister was the village priestess, so technically __**she**__ was the first. I was given credit as the first, though." She smirked._

"_My villages' Elders... they prayed to the Gods... day in and day out, for a strong warrior. They had prayed for twenty years. Then, __**I **__was born. They saw me as the perfect specimen, and took me to the village Witch Doctor, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, when I was no older than eight months. I was tested on, forced to drink many 'potions' and elixirs. It was five years later that I was finally released back into my family's custody."_

_Reiko sighed, looking at her hand, where a small, crescent moon shaped burn lay. "Kurotsuchi-san's experimentations paid off in the end. I was granted super-human strength and speed. The primal instincts of a killer." She scowled, and her hands clenched into fists. "Those around me saw me more as a monster, than a protector. I was always alone... until I met Ichigo-kun..." She smiled, and looked up at Rukia. "You felt that way, too, right?"_

_Rukia looked back at the times she had spent with Ichigo. He __**had**__ changed her life for the better. He had changed Rukia's way of thinking towards her mother, and he had shown her a certain kindness no one else had, ever before. Rukia nodded. "I do." She barely noticed she was speaking in the present tense._

_Reiko smiled brightly, and walked until she was right in front of Rukia. She placed a gentle hand on Rukia's still-flat stomach._

"_This baby... this beautiful baby girl... will become strong... and she will live, if, and only if," She paused, "you don't tell Ichigo."_

_Rukia's eyes widened._

Rukia shot up, her eyes wide. Tears were brimming at the edges of her violet orbs. "Man..." She muttered as she brought her legs up, tucking her knees under her chin.

"What am I gonna do?"

* * *

Much like Rukia was at her own home, Ichigo was also in his room, sound asleep.

**Dream**

**Ichigo looked around. He hadn't dreamt in such a long time... he had almost forgotten what it was like.**

"_**In the deep forest of lamentations... I can hear the cicadas..."**_** The orange-haired vampire whirled around, facing a young woman. She had long black hair, and glowing amber eyes. She had a stoic, almost condescending face, and she wore a dark purple dress on, much like the one Rukia wore when he met her at Sereitei.**

"_**It was a beautifully fine day, and you breathed in the crisp summer breeze... and during that one split second, the clock's needle stopped."**_** Her singing voice was heavenly, he mused, **_**almost as angelic as Rukia's.**_

"**Who are you?" He finally asked, and she looked at him, her face still stoic. "You know who I am." And then she was singing again. **_**"You heard someone crying out... but from where, exactly? All good children should go to sleep... those who don't shall be dragged down by prying hands."**_

**Then, she spoke. "Why are you not asleep?"**

**A sharp shriek echoed through the forest. **_**Rukia.**_** Ichigo immediately thought of the young Slayer. He started running, leaving behind the still singing girl. The screaming suddenly stopped, and was replaced by a baby's cry.**

"**What the hell...?" Ichigo cursed, looking around for anyone... Rukia, that girl... someone... "HELLO?!" He shouted, but his only response was his own echo. "RUKIA?!" Another echo.**

**The crying stopped.**

"**Do you get it now?" Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the same girl from earlier. "Don't you get **_**it?**_** Don't you get who **_**I **_**am?" She asked, glaring ferociously at the Vampire in front of her.**

**His eyes widened, although he didn't know why. "Rika...?" **_**Who is Rika? **_**He thought confusedly as the young woman took out a long sword. She smiled evilly.**

"**Bingo." And then, there was blood.**

"_**From now on, when you hear the distorted sounds of crying, on that crimson-painted path... know that the cicadas are crying..."**_

Ichigo shot up, panting. Who the hell was Rika?

And why did she want to kill him?

To Ichigo Kurosaki, nothing ever made sense.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Ritsuko. Ritsuko Hanasaki. And this is my friend, Amanda Sinclair. We're trainees from the academy!" A pink-haired girl with crimson colored eyes smiled brightly at Ukitake. Ukitake smiled back warmly. "Oh, hello. That's funny... I didn't receive any notifications about new trainees arriving today..." He looked over the day's schedule.

"That's odd..."

"Oh, they probably made a mistake!" Amanda spoke up.

Ukitake looked at the papers, then back at the two girls. "Hmm... maybe you're right... okay, then. Come on. I'll get Rukia and Orihime to show you guys around." He motioned for them to follow him. The girls obediently obeyed.

Ukitake never noticed the two girl's evil grins.

* * *

**Kind of short, I know, but I had a major case of writer's block! Sorry guys! And I know I didn't delve much into Ichigo and Rukia's... **_**night**_**, but I'm a real prude, and I'd love to keep my innocence for a little while longer!**

**So... not much to say here except for... review? Pretty please?**

**-TMU**


	11. Authors Apology

**I'M SORRY!**

**Sorry guys, but Tenshi will be on hold for a while. My PC died on me (Remember when I got it fixed earlier on in the story? Well, now it just died on me completely.) and I need to get a new one (I'm currently at my friend Miki's house). Sorry, once again! I'll try and get it fixed ASAP!!!!!**

**Ja ne!**

**-TMU**


	12. Pardon My Past

**HOO-RAH! I'm not dead! Let's throw a PAR-TAY!**

**I don't own anything except my OC's and the plot.**

**Vampire Karin; Elda Marker-affinity references.**

**We dive deeper into Rukia, Ichigo, and Dianne's past.**

**Chapter eleven: Déjà Past**

* * *

_**Rukia's Story**_

The farthest back I could ever remember was probably...

When I was four. I was just a kid. My mom was an avid partier, never home. My father, Kaitou, though, was actually pretty nice to me. My big sister Hisana was nine years old.

My family and I lived in the middle-class section of Kyoto. I had five friends. Momo Hinamori, Matsumoto Rangiku, Tatsuki Arisawa, Uryu Ishida, and Orihime Inoue. We all met in first grade, at Kokako Elementary.

Then, when I was seven, something weird happened.

I started having these... visions, as Hisana and I called them. I was practically a psychic. That was when my father started beating us. He claimed he was 'beating the evil' but Hisana and I knew better.

He was actually _enjoying_ it.

It went like this for two and a half more years, until I was ten. Then, he died in a car accident. My mother no longer went out as much. She stayed at home, with Hisana and me. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt...

_Loved_.

But then, two years later, when I was twelve, _she_ died from some weird illness. Hisana was twenty at the time, and already on her own, so I lived with her. Then, her boyfriend Byakuya proposed to Hisana, and invited us _both _to live with him, in his upscale mansion, back in Kyoto.

It all sounded too good to be true, right?

It was.

I was still in touch with my childhood friends, so it wasn't awkward going back to high school. It was also still September, so it wasn't that hard catching up. It was then Hisana found out she was pregnant. She and Byakuya named her Mikoto. Mikoto Kuchiki.

And then, Hisana got the same sickness our mother did... she was dead within a month. Byakuya, Mikoto, and I lived a fairly normal life, until I was fifteen. That was when one of the most horrible things in my life happened.

I can remember it like it was yesterday...

_Flashback_

_I was coming down for breakfast, already ready for school, like every morning. My hair was neatly brushed into a low ponytail, and I was wearing the standard uniform for my high school. A white shirt under a gray jacket, and a matching grey skirt. I immediately went to Mikoto's room, like I do every morning, to wake her up. Unlike most toddlers, she actually slept in late._

"_Miki! It's time to wake up... huh?" I stopped, mid-sentence, and blinked. Mikoto was nowhere to be found, although her bed was a mess. I walked up, and quickly made it. I figured the little monster was hiding somewhere, so I merely giggled and started looking for my niece._

_After about ten minutes of pointless searching, I sighed. "Byakuya must've woken her up already." I figured, and once again started to make my way to the kitchen._

_I stopped dead in the living room, my liquid blue eyes wide. "Oh, my God..." I breathed my voice shaky. My breathing began to get uneven._

_Blood stained the cream colored walls and the polished hardwood floors. The pictures hanging from the walls were dripping with the red liquid, and so was the mirror in the hallway. I started running around the living room, looking for my brother in law and my niece._

"_Nii-sama?!" I called, running everywhere. "Mikoto?!" She was only two. I knew she wouldn't answer me. "PLEASE! Answer me!" I pleaded, and started to cry. "Please..." I had searched the entire downstairs. Everywhere but..._

"_The study..." I breathed, and ran in the direction of it. It was Nii-sama's study. Sometimes, he would skip breakfast and go there. "Byakuya?!" I screamed, not caring that I was using his first name, no honorifics attached. I ran throughout the large office/library, and stopped, dead in my tracks._

"_N-Nii-sama..." I whispered. There, in a pool of his own blood, was my brother-in-law, Byakuya. Using the first-aid skills I learned in eighth grade to use, I ran up to him, and laid him on his back. I winced, looking at his eyes._

_There was absolutely no life. I felt the pulse at his neck. Nothing. His heartbeat was nonexistent._

_Byakuya was a lost cause and I knew it. I got up quickly, blinking back tears. Byakuya hated emotion, so why should I cry if he hated it?_

"_Mikoto!?" And soon, I was once again looking for the baby girl. "Miki?! Come on, Mikoto!" I was near hysterics, now. "MIKOTO!" I finally gave up. Mikoto was gone. Byakuya was dead._

_And I was all alone._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------_

_I had called the police and they had come to the house. I was still in shock._

_The detective working this case's name was detective Keisha, who immediately told me not to worry. That they would find out who did this, and that they would help no matter what. He had also told me that this wasn't the first time._

"_Who else?" I asked, my voice hoarse. I was wrapped in a blanket, the grief counselor, Cassidy, holding my hands tightly._

"_Um... Matsumoto, Arisawa, and some chick named Hinamori." He shrugged. "They were all about your age, actually." My eyes widened. "No..." Cassidy, noticing my reaction, started rubbing my back soothingly. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"_

_I couldn't hear, couldn't see, I couldn't feel after the detective said that._

_My life was crumbling down on top of me._

_And all I could do was sit there and watch._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------_

"_Still nothing?" I asked, sighing. Keisha shook his head. "Sorry kid. Nothing that we already didn't know. This case is turning cold fast. We have a small window of opportunity before the case turns completely cold."_

_I sighed. I knew the police wouldn't find the killer in less than twenty-four hours. I felt eyes boring into the back of my head. I turned, and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you, sir?" I asked the man in front of me, a bored expression on my face._

_This guy was seriously creeping me out. He had dirty blond hair, hidden under a horrid, dark green striped hat. "My name is Urahara Kisuke. And it sounds to me like your family fell victim to an Ookami Akuma attack."_

_Okay, now he was _**really** _scaring me! "Ookami Akuma?"_

_He nodded furiously, flipping out a white, paper fan. "A demonic creature that eternally lusts for human flesh!" I heard Keisha chuckle heartily. "Aw, don't let old Kisuke here scare ya! He's harmless! Kisuke, come on, now. Don't scare the poor girl by talking nonsense about demons and all that shit!" He laughed once more._

_The man, Kisuke, gave me his card. "Call me if anything else comes up."_

_-------_

_It was only two days later that I actually believed him._

"_Yeah... he was really creepy. Detective Keisha told me he was just being funny, but I don't know... I think he's just crazy." I told Orihime on our way back from school Friday, two days after I had gone to the police station._

"_Whoa..." Inoue looked at me sympathetically. "He _**sounds**_ crazy." She laughed softly, and patted my back soothingly. "I'm sure they'll find out who did this, don't worry! And you can stay at my place for as long as you can!"_

_I had been staying at Orihime's since the... incident. Neither of us talked about it unless Keisha called or unless I had come back from the police department. "Thanks, 'Hime," I laughed, and we kept walking._

_Suddenly, Orihime perked up. "Rukia, did you hear that?"_

_I stopped. "No... Orihime, you're being paranoid. We're in the park, and its sunset. Nobody's here." I assured her, and kept walking. "Okay..." She whispered, more to herself than me._

"_**Blood..."**_

_I stopped. "Orihime, did you just say something?" I asked her, stopping. Inoue panicked. "Rukia! Don't say that! You're scaring me, seriously!" She whined, and I shook my head. "I'm not kidding you, Orihime. I seriously did hear something..."_

"_**You smell... delicious."**_

_I jumped, and turned around swiftly. "Damn... what the hell..." I cursed. It had sounded like there was someone next to me... whispering in my ear. Suddenly, something that looked so much like a __**wolf**__ tackled Orihime to the ground._

"_ORIHIME!" I yelled, and turned to face that... __**thing**__. I gulped, this... whatever it was... was terrifying. It had no eyes, just gruesome black orbs. It had silver fur, which radiated a ghostly glow in the moonlight._

"_Orihime..." I was powerless. I felt totally weak. I couldn't do anything except sit and watch as my best friend's throat was ripped open. I hated this feeling of uselessness._

_Suddenly, the wolf-thing was on the ground, dead. I immediately went to see if Orihime was okay, not caring how the hell the thing that tried to kill her died. "Orihime... come on, wake up!" I shook her. It was no use, though._

_Inoue was out cold._

'_Probably fainted from the shock,' I figured._

"_Are you okay?" A strangely comforting voice asked me. I looked up, and gasped when I saw Kisuke and a purple-haired woman by his side, both of them holding what looked like machine guns. I fell back onto the grass in shock._

"_You... you're that crazy guy from the precinct!" I accused, pointing a finger at him. The woman's eye twitched. "Kisuke! What the hell did you say to her?!" She screamed at him, bopping the blonde guy over the head. She sighed, and held out her hand to help me up as Kisuke picked up Inoue's unconscious body._

"_I'm sorry about that, Rukia-chan. But if you'll come with me, I'll tell you what we –Kisuke and I- do. And how it involves demons like those." She pointed at the wolf._

_I was still pretty skeptical. But something... in my gut, told me I could trust these people, yes, even Kisuke Urahara._

_I had no idea what I was getting myself into._

_---_

Only three weeks later, I was being homeschooled in the Slayer profession. I didn't have to go to high school anymore, seeing as how I would be working both day _and_ night. I remember the day I met my first sensei... and my sister-in-law.

_Flashback_

"_Hello! My name is Mitsuki Kuchiki, lieutenant of the 31__st__ squad in the Speed Force." She grinned wildly, and my eyes widened._

"_I'm sorry... Kuchiki? Do you happen to know a Byakuya Kuchiki?"_

_She looked at me, shocked. "You know my brother, Byakuya?"_

_---_

_After that very eventful first day, my life was thrown into a whirlwind of emotions. It was weird, to say the least._

_I felt strangely comfortable, yet still very awkward around Yoruichi and Urahara. Awkward because Urahara was still psycho in my book, yet comfortable because Yoruichi was there to beat the living daylights out of the blond man._

_I felt loved, being around friends, Mitsuki, and soon, Mikoto._

_I felt... everything._

_It was nice._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_**Ichigo's Story**_

The farthest I can ever remember was when I was nine years old. My mother and I always used to walk up to the mountain shrine, on top of Kyuketski Mountain. Then, one day, we were ambushed by thieves. I couldn't remember much during the experience. The thieves had knocked me out cold, giving me a mild case of amnesia.

When I awoke, I couldn't remember anything except for my name and age.

My mother was dead.

I had lived in a depression after I regained my memories of the night. I had lived in a complete slump... until that one winter, when Gin Ichimaru stumbled into my life, taking my mortality. He took both mine and Karin's, along with Yuzu and my father's life.

I thought I would live out the rest of eternity with my peers in the underworld continually looking down on me, and have the guilt of my father and my baby sister's death weighing on my shoulders.

I thought it was all going downhill... until I met Reiko Kazuki. She had been sent by her village to kill me. But it was her first killing. She couldn't, she told me. She had been barely fourteen at the time.

_Flashback_

"_I-Ichigo K-Kurosaki," Reiko stuttered, "Stop right there." She held up a katana, and tried her best to look confident. She was sweating, though. I could smell her fear a mile away._

_I smirked. She had guts, I gave her that. To be going after one of the Underworld's most elite Vampires? "So, Reiko-san, is it?" I ask her nonchalantly, stepping forward. She stepped back, and nodded._

"_Yeah... how do you know who I am?" She questioned, lowering her sword slightly. I shrugged. "How could I not? You're father is the village leader, and your sister is the most respected priestess in all of Japan. And of course, how could anyone forget the name of the __**first**__ Slayer?" I asked, stepping forward once more, less than three feet away, now._

_Out of pure instinct, she lunged forward and impaled me through the heart with the iron object._

"_Ah!" I screamed in fake pain. I loved toying with human emotions. Even though I still had my soul, that didn't stop the vicious nature of the Turok Han to come in play every now and again. She smiled, thinking she had won._

"_Ah... uh..." I slumped to the floor for emphasis. And the second she took a step forward, my head jerked up. "Oh, come one! You really think something as flimsy as a rotten old katana's gonna kill me? Next time, if you're gonna impale me with something, use wood." That was an old joke Gin used to tell way back when during the first war, when some idiot samurai would try and kill him._

_Reiko backed up into a tree. "What... but... how the hell..." She was in total shock. "Tell you what, shortcake." I reasoned, walking up to her. She glared at me for the 'short' comment. But come on, the girl was seriously petite! "I'll let you off easy this time." And with that, I leaned forward, drinking just enough of her blood to make her fall unconscious._

_I caught her as she fell. "Damn..." I cursed when I heard villager's shouting nearby, along with the prayers of a priestess. "For something so small, you sure do cause a lot of trouble."_

_------_

It was actually nice after that. Our next meeting was not as hostile as the first. She had wanted to get to know me. Said that 'A Vampire with a heart certainly is intriguing.' I had laughed when she said that.

In the short time of three months we had grown to become good friends. Even Karin trusted her, and that was a rarity. Eventually, Minako, her sister, found out about me. She, although a Vampire Hunter, quickly welcomed me. We kept the secret of my immortality to Reiko's father, mother, and the rest of the village, of course.

After about a year, when Reiko was sixteen, she asked me something unusual. She had asked, "Can you make me immortal?" I had responded by saying, "No, a conversion requires two Vampires.' It was a lie, but I didn't want to take Rei away from her perfect life.

Minako had heard us from the other room. "How about a reincarnation bind? It's a special seal that will reincarnate any who bear it." She explained. "It's very complicated, because none should really use it." She had also told us, "at least that's what Head Elder Cromwell told me!"

Reiko had scoffed at that and responded, "Cromwell's a quack! Do it, come on, sister!"

And then, I met Temperance.

She was certainly... perky. That was what I first thought. She had that dark brown hair, and innocent-looking golden-amber eyes. She looked so innocent, so much like a child, that I had no idea what would happen next.

_Flashback_

"_Ichigo!" I already knew it was Tempie. That's what Reiko and I used to call her._

'_Tempie'._

"_Ichi-kun!" She gasped as she caught up with me. The poor girl was flushed, and so out of breath. "Hey, Temperance. What is it?" I asked her, forcing a smile. I didn't hate Temperance; no, as a matter of fact, she was one of the only people in the village (aside from Reiko and Minako) I could actually be comfortable around. It was just, I had been in an unusually grumpy mood lately._

_Didn't know why, though._

"_Ichi-kun, did you hear? Vampires are invading the village!" Temperance panted._

"_**What**__?" I asked her, shocked. Neither Gin nor Karin told me about this. I looked at Temperance, and my eyes widened._

_She was giggling. "Tempie?"_

"_Haha!" Now, she was all-out laughing. "That... this... this is the best thing ever! Don't you agree, Ichi-kun?" She asked me through hysterics. I looked at her incredulously, my suspicion, anger, and worry rising with every passing moment._

"_Temperance... what have you done?" I asked her in disbelief._

_She laughed manically. "I've known for a while, Ichigo... about your little dilemma... you, a Vampire, have fallen in love with a human? And the First Slayer no less!" Her voice was frosty, but she was still giggling. "It is so..." She couldn't even finish._

_She was laughing too hard. "Oh... Ichigo... I love you. And now, with your little princess dead, you and I can be together... forever." She laughed, and stepped forward, grasping my shoulders. "Together... forever... Gin even said so... Oh, Ichigo! It will be so wonderful, don't you agree?"_

_I didn't know what to do. I just pushed her back and ran for the village._

_There Temperance lay, on her back, still laughing._

_---_

In the end, I had killed Temperance. Reiko and Minako were still dead, though.

Karin and I had moved to London, for about six hundred years, until the year 1712. Then, we were back in Japan.

And into a small town called Karakura.

It was there I met Senna, who was a wandering Oracle. She said she had no where to go, so she came to live with Karin and I. Karin had never really taken a liking to Senna, and even I felt a little awkward being around her.

We had met Sakura about one hundred and fifty years later, in 1862. Sakura was being hunted by Scourge demons, and Karin and I had found her beaten to a pulp, a Scourge woman ready to finish her off. She had become a part of our little family after that. It was difficult being around Sakura for Karin, she reminded us so much of Yuzu, our deceased little sister.

It had been fairly normal for almost eighty three years after that.

Until I met Rukia Kuchiki, that is.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Dianne's Story**_

I had grown up in a fairly normal community. I was born July twenty-second, 1854. My father was a factory owner, my mother, a nurse. I had been living a normal life, until I met a man who went by the name of Kouta Urahara. He had actually kidnapped me, and taken me back to his little 'headquarters' where he lived, along with a woman named Yasashi Shihoin.

They had wanted me to become one of them. A Slayer.

At first, I thought these people were insane. Then, I experienced my first demon.

And I joined them.

-------

Over time, I became a prestigious demon and Vampire hunter. And then, I learned something quite shocking...

I was a generation Slayer.

It was right before the Kousen no Shinku Yuki, when I found out.

I had also met and fallen in love with Grimmjow Jaggerjack, a Vampire who had been on the loose since the summer of 1302. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I agreed to give up my mortality for him.

He had nearly killed me, but stopped himself at the last second. He had granted me the powers of a Vampire. But... my affinity, was quite possibly the worst of them all.

It was love.

I had thought he truly loved me... I had given him everything, my mortality, my innocence, my very heart was in his hands.

And he had crushed it.

_Flashback_

_He had been cornered by Hunters. I had fought for him. And I was dying, too._

"_Grimmjow... I'm weak... I can't.... huh?"_

_He, without a word, had bared his neck to me. "Go on. And then, you can escape." He smirked knowingly, gripping my shoulders. "Grimm..." And without another word, I sank my fangs into his neck._

_After about twenty seconds, I stopped. I had had my fill. "Grimmjow... what's..." I stopped, my eyes wide, and looked down in shock._

_There was a knife, planted right where my heart was supposed to be. "I can't believe it... Grimmjow... you..." I was at a loss for words. "You... you lied... you said it wouldn't... affect you..." I was talking about my affinity._

"_Bastard!" And then, I was gone._

_That was the last I ever saw of Grimmjow Jaggerjack._

_--------_

Ever since then, I had lived by this philosophy.

"It's okay to fall in love. But falling in love with a Vampire is quite possibly one of the worst tragedies. You can fall, you can take the leap off this cliff, just don't expect that monster to catch you."

And it was true. So unbelievably correct.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Filler chapter. A very LONG filler chapter.... XD**

**I know, Dianne's story was kind of short... I just couldn't figure out what to do with her!**

**So... please review! Well... it really doesn't matter. The next chapter should be out by tomorrow!**

**So... review, don't review. To be honest, I really don't care what you do! Hey... that rhymed!**

**-TMU**


	13. Myself Yourself

**Okay, I think you guys get it. I don't own anything 'cept my OC's and the plot! **

**MOSTLY MITSUKI AND RUKIA CENTERED!**

**The song from the unknown POV is 'Family Portrait' by P!nk.**

**HITSUKARIN, A REALLY DARK HITSUHINA, AND HITSUMITSUKI FRIENDSHIP!**

**-------------------------------------------------------**

**Scarlet Locket**

**Part One: Scars, Old and New**

**June 5, 1944**

"Hiyori-chan, are you sure...?" Mitsuki looked uncertainly at the blond Vampire girl. She shrugged. "Hey, it's not my problem, Kuchiki. It's Kisuke's. Tell the moron I said don't die, when ya see him, kay?" She smirked, and walked back into her father's clinic.

Mitsuki looked at the train ticket in her hand. "Alright, Hiyori. I'll tell him."

--------

Rukia blinked at Ukitake. "Show some new girls around? I don't know sensei. It's just..."

Ukitake chuckled. "Rukia. It's fine. These girls aren't armed and dangerous. I know you're on a maternity leave. But come on, one little tour won't kill you, will it?"

Rukia chuckled. "No... I guess not. Fine, then. I'll get Orihime. Can you have Amanda and Ritsuko meet us at the front gates?"

Ukitake nodded. "Of course!"

-------

The rest of the day passed by without a problem.

Rukia and Orihime showed the two newbie girls around, although only Rukia noticed Ritsuko's extreme disinterest in the HQ, and more of an interest in _her_ and her _weapons_. The only _real_ problem throughout _that_ activity was when Ritsuko tried to sneak out of the room with Rukia's dagger.

And there was one more, involving Yoruichi, Urahara, and a certain black-haired hybrid.

"Hiyori-chan wanted me to come back!" Mitsuki defended, her hands held up. "She said that you guys needed me here. Did you call her or something?"

Yoruichi sighed in exasperation. "If we called her, we wouldn't be so shocked. Well... this is a problem. Everyone in the HQ thinks you're dead. Even Rukia..." Urahara huffed from his desk. "Damn..."

"Hmmm..." Yoruichi started humming. "Mitsuki, didn't you say you lived in Hisakumori for a majority of your life?"

Mitsuki nodded. "Yeah. But what does that have to do with... oh no." Mitsuki looked in horror at her boss. "You actually think...?" Yoruichi shrugged. "Maybe, if we do it right." Kisuke was totally lost. "Alright, what are you two talking about?"

Yoruichi smiled wickedly. Mitsuki sighed, shaking her head.

---------

"Damn..." Rukia cursed. "What the hell is with all the newbie's?!" She was about an inch away from ripping her hair out of her skull. Yoruichi giggled. "Chill, Rukia! Scarlet isn't new, she's a transfer from the Kyoto division. Zaraki sent her out here."

Kenpachi Zaraki was the name of the commander of the Kyoto Slayer division. All divisions had there own commander, and all divisions had one specific skill. Karakura, for example, was more agility than force, which was Zaraki's division's skill.

"All you got to do is show her around!" Yoruichi winked at the woman, 'Scarlet'.

Said woman nodded.

"Alright, then. Let's get started. Okay, first of all, my name's Rukia Kuchiki. I'm in squad thirty-one on Karakura's Special Operations Force." She faked a smile. "And your name is...?"

The girl stuttered. "Uh... Scarlet... Scarlet Kimiyoshi!" She laughed awkwardly and Rukia blinked. "Fine. Let's go, Kimiyoshi."

Kisuke appeared behind Yoruichi when the two girls were gone. "Nice... Mitsuki doesn't even look like herself anymore! Then again, she didn't look the same when she came back, either." He added as an afterthought. "Her skin's paler, her black hair's turned a dark brown..."

"My doing," Yoruichi cut in, smiling proudly.

Kisuke continued. "Her hair's curly, now. Not to mention her sliver highlight's gone. It's red now." He shrugged. "Kind of fits with her new name, though. One more thing, Yoru... how in the world did you get her eyes that color? They're blue."

Yoruichi laughed. "Contacts, duh!" **(A/N: I have no idea when the first colored contact lenses were created! I'm only saying this for the sake of the story!)**

Kisuke stared blankly at his purple-haired friend, and then laughed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Four months later...**

Ichigo had spent the last four months _thinking_. Not training, not looking for Rukia, but _thinking_.

About what, you may ask?

Well, it varied. Sometimes, his thoughts shifted to Reiko and how guilty he felt about falling in love with someone else. Others, it was Senna, or rather, Temperance, and how he was so damn naïve. Occasionally, it was all the women he had forced himself to love, to care for.

And then, there was Rukia. He thought of how she was doing. What would happen to them after the war was over.

And once in a blue moon, he thought of that dream, so many months ago. In the forest, with that girl...

Rika.

Who was she? And why did she seem so familiar? Ichigo was not ignorant towards his Han blood. He had visions occasionally, and he knew that that dream was one.

One, very scary one.

One that, would most likely, be the death of him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I know you'll beat them. I just wish I could be there to see it._

'Scarlet' tossed.

_Is this so wrong? For me to want to stay here, with you?_

She turned.

_No._

She mumbled in her sleep.

_You promised you'd be strong for your dad._

Voices filled her head.

_You promised you'd be strong for your mom._

She unconsciously gripped at her hair.

"_Mom? Dad? What are you talking about? They both went away... a long, long time ago."_

Mitsuki moaned softly as she was dragged further and further away from reality, and into her nightmares.

_Dream_

_Mitsuki was seated in a large, empty, dining room. The calendar on the fridge had the date, December 19, 1950 circled in a red marker. "Happy birthday, Rika-chan!" She giggled, and pushed a slice of cake towards the little girl sitting across from her._

"_Why is it always just the two of us?" The little girl, Rika, asked softly, picking at the frosting on her cake. Mitsuki blinked. "Ah... well... don't you like it being just us?" She asked, looking at the child sympathetically._

_Rika looked up, her amber eyes downcast. "Well... I love you, auntie, I really do... but... why can't my mommy or daddy ever see me?" It was such an innocent question._

_But Mitsuki didn't know how to answer it. "They want to, Rika! They really do! But don't you remember? You promised you'd be strong. For your mom, for your dad, and even for me." She smiled at the little girl. "So come on, how about we go to the park? We haven't done that in a while..."_

_Rika shook her head. "No... If we do, we'll get close, and you'll love me. And if you love me, then you'll go away... just like mom and dad..."_

_Mitsuki's eyes softened at the little girl. She ruffled Rika's ebony hair. "Rika... I'm not going to leave, okay? I already love you, anyways. And even if I do go away, I'll be happy! That'll mean that we've grown closer, right? Now come on, get dressed. We're going out today."_

_Rika looked up, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. Mitsuki raised a brow, smirking. "Rika. Cry, okay? I'm not going to tell anyone."_

_Rika shook her head. "Uh-uh. I want t-to be s-strong. For you, momma and papa." Mitsuki sighed. Rika Kurosaki was such a fighter. She was so much like her mother..._

"_So much like Rukia..."_

_---_

_Dream 2_

_1 year later..._

_Mikoto looked inside the room, Rika close behind her. "W-what's happening?" The eight-year old asked worriedly._

_Mikoto bit her lip to keep from crying and screaming out curses. "Nothing, sweetheart. Auntie Mitsuki just has to leave... for a little bit. You're gonna be staying with me, okay?" The black haired fifteen-year old looked at her little cousin._

_Rika looked down. It was happening again. Everyone close to her... was gone, now. "No... I don't want anybody else to go..." She looked at Mikoto with tear filled eyes. Miki saw this and quickly hugged the crying child, much like a sister would._

"_Shhh... it's only for a little while... everything will be back to normal soon." She looked in the room, where a hysterical Mitsuki was screaming and trashing the white room. "...Very, very... soon..."_

_And then, she was crying, too._

_---_

_Dream 3_

_**Six and a half years before the last dream...**_

"_I just wish I could be there to see i__t."_

_Mitsuki sighed. She was just making this harder for the both of them. They had to leave soon, and the little twerp in the other room just _had_ to say goodbye to that... that..._

_Idiot._

_Mitsuki blinked. Idiot. Dumbass. Baka. It was all the same. But Mitsuki could only say that. After all, she couldn't very well say 'Vampire', now could she? She sighed, and slowly started to open the door. She smiled as she looked through the crack in the door._

_They were kissing._

"_Ah..." She sighed. "Sweetie..." She whispered, directing it to the woman in the room. After all, only she could hear her. "You just made this twice as painful as it normally would."_

_The woman in the room was silent as she broke away from the taller man._

_---_

_Dream 4_

_**Seven months before the last dream...**_

"_I'm so, so sorry..." She held Hitsugaya tighter._

"_Now... I understand... why you did what you did... why you betrayed me... back in Hisakumori... it was to protect me, huh? If you didn't catch me, other Vampires would have..." Mitsuki sobbed into his shoulder. "Thank you... thank you so much... Shirou-chan..." She giggled. The name sounded foreign on her tongue._

_Hitsugaya smiled. "Its fine, Mimi..."_

_----_

'Scarlet' bolted up in bed as lightning flashed, illuminating the dark bedroom. "He did... he did it to protect me?" She looked outside, at the full moon. "Who was after me? Who... where is Rukia?" She asked herself these questions.

She growled, low in her throat, in frustration, and then got up, slipping on her shoes. She needed answers. And she needed them _now_, damn it. Mitsuki quickly sped out of the room, shedding her pajamas and pulling on a black dress, and trench coat.

But before she left, she quickly dropped something on her dresser.

Without any words, she leapt out of her window, and towards Hitsugaya's Estate.

The only place she could really call home, now.

---

The next Morning...

"Oh, 'Scarlet'!" Yoruichi sang out Mitsuki's incognito name. Noticing she wasn't in the living room, she called again, louder, this time. "Mitsuki?" She began walking around the large apartment, looking for her friend. "Mitsuki?!" She called once more.

"Early morning training, maybe?" The Shihoin wondered out loud. Then, she noticed the locket on the oak desk. It was a silver, star shaped locket. It looked like white gold. "What the..." Yoruichi picked it up, and opened it. As soon as she did, a small, folded up piece of paper fell out.

"Huh?" She picked up the small piece of parchment, unfolded it, and read,

_For my little sister-in-law, Rukia._

_Just think of this as a combined final 'I'm sorry' and 'goodbye' gift. It was a birthday gift from my mother, and since you're about to become one, I thought it would be perfect for you. After all, it doesn't seem like I'm ever going to be one, huh?_

_P.S. Don't forget me, okay?_

Yoruichi just stared at the paper, and sighed. "Mitsuki... what exactly are you planning?"

---

"Mitsuki... why are you here?" Hitsugaya asked, honestly confused. Even through her new look, he could smell her blood. He instinctually knew it was her.

Mitsuki's hair was sopping and now slightly wavy because of the pounding rain outside. "I... found something out... last night." Her voice was raspy and quiet. Hitsugaya raised a brow. "A vision?" He asked stoically. His face was devoid of any and all emotions, aside from a slight hopefulness in his eyes.

She nodded. "Yes. I... I know why. I know why you did what you did, all those years ago."

She did not need to say anymore. Without a word, he enveloped her into his arms, hugging the Slayer tightly. "Thank you..." He whispered. She embraced the white-haired Vampire back, sucking in a ragged breath, her posture rigid. But after about five seconds, she relaxed, and allowed herself to melt into his arms.

Then, she repeated the words and actions from her dream. "I'm so, so sorry..." She held Hitsugaya tighter.

"Now... I understand... why you did what you did... why you betrayed me... back in Hisakumori... it was to protect me, huh? If you didn't catch me, other Vampires would have..." Mitsuki sobbed into his shoulder. "Thank you... thank you so much... Shirou-chan..." She giggled through her sobs. The name sounded foreign on her tongue, even in this reality.

Hitsugaya smiled, understanding fully. "Its fine, Mimi..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's this?" Rukia asked, looking at the locket.

Yoruichi, against her better judgment, had given the locket to Rukia. She had a right to know. The Shihoin woman smiled a sad smile, grasping the younger Slayer's hands. "Open it and find out. It's a gift... from someone very special." She winked at the Kuchiki.

Rukia raised a brow, carefully snapping the locket open. Her eyes fell on the small piece of paper sticking out of the white gold. She began to read it, and her brows knitted together. "Mitsuki... what do you have to be sorry for?"

"She knew she was dying." Yoruichi lied easily. "She was probably sorry for not telling you."

Rukia was going to cry. She could feel the impending wetness pool behind her eyes. _It's the hormones..._ she tried to convince herself calmly. Then, something from the letter caught up with her.

'_It was a birthday gift from my mother. And since you're about to become one, I thought it would be perfect!'_

Rukia dropped the locket, her eyes blazing as she recalled something.

She never once told Mitsuki about the pregnancy.

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**March 3, 2009**

**Unknown POV**

"In our fam-ily portrait, we look pretty happy. Let's play pretend now, act like it comes naturally... we look pretty normal, let's go back to that." I hummed the song I taught myself to sing, from one of my old songbooks. "I promise I'll be better, daddy please don't leave..." Those lyrics I added myself. "Momma please stop crying, because I can't stand the sound, your pain is painful and it's tearing me down..."

I remember singing this song all the time, when I was a kid. It was so true, back then. "Can we work it out? Can we be a family? I promise I'll be better, mommy I'll do anything."

It's even true, now.

"Can we work it out?" I can only imagine the sweet face of that little girl asking that question.

"Can we be a family?" No. It's too late for that.

"Daddy please don't leave..." Too late.

"Can we work it out?"

"Maybe..." I answered out loud.

"Oi!" I turned slowly and gave the man calling half a smile. "Hello." I answered calmly, looking at the young man. He had messy orange hair, and warm brown eyes. "Can I help you, young man?" I looked at him expectantly, my blue eyes passive.

He stuttered slightly. "N-never mind. I thought..." He kept looking at me. "I thought you were somebody else." And then, he was gone.

My fists clenched. Damn him. Damn all of them. Damn _her_.

I hate everyone.

I hate Karin.

Kohaku.

Hitsugaya.

I even hate myself.

But most of all, I hate Ichigo Kurosaki.

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**Five months later**

**November 29, 1944**

"Kisuke, we've been searching for months now. We're never gonna find Scarlet." Yoruichi sighed. Rukia glared at her boss. "Shut the hell up, Shihoin. I've known for a while now about Mitsuki's new identity." Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at the petite pregnant woman. "You... knew?" Kisuke asked uncertainly.

"Mmhm." Rukia nodded. "Ever since Yoruichi gave me her stupid locket."

Something seemed to dawn on Yoruichi. "Say... Rukia, should you really be out in your... condition?" She asked, pointing to the Kuchiki woman's distended belly. Rukia looked at her bosses distastefully. "Ah, don't worry. I'm still looking at another month and a half of swollen ankles and icky hormones." She waved the both of them off.

But the bad thing about that was, Rukia was almost _always_ wrong about these things.

And that made Yoruichi and Kisuke worry.

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**Mitsuki's POV**

**2009**

I was silent. So silent, even Hiyori, the owner of this damned hospital was worrying. And she _never_ worries.

How long had I been out of it?

Exactly _how long_?

"_Toshirou, make me a promise. Promise me that no matter how bad things get, we won't hide anything from each other, even if it might hurt one of us, okay?"_

I was so young when I said that. Probably no older than eight. And now, I realize, he was _such_ a liar.

"_I promise."_

Damn him. Damn him straight to hell. "Liar." I mutter, and wonder if I'm still crazy. They haven't released me, even though I keep insisting I'm fine. So, I most likely still am. This... world, all feels too dream-like. It's terrifying, and twisted, even. It's slowly killing me.

"Auntie?" It's Mikoto again. She lied, too. They all lied. "Liar..." I mutter again, my breaths becoming quick and I'm soon panting like I had just run a marathon. My heart is racing, and adrenaline is pumping, like I'm anticipating that I'll do something awful.

I do.

"Liar, liar... LIAR!" I start screaming suddenly, like I did the other week. I'm not thrashing about though, instead I'm gripping the white cotton sheets like a lifeline, and I can hear the fabric tearing under my touch. "Liar..." I start whimpering, and I can feel more than one pair of eyes staring at me. I already knew who it was.

"Rika..." I whisper, not even looking at her. The edges of my vision are blurred, like I'm living out a dream.

She clears her throat softly. "Auntie."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ritsuko-san," Amanda looked at her counterpart. "Do you think we'll get caught? After your little scene with Kuchiki, I think we're being kept under a watchful eye." The brown-haired Brachen Demon looked at her friend, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"It doesn't matter to me. They'll all end up dead by the end of this year." She let her spell drop, the blonde's pretty face melting off slowly. Her silky blond hair bristled, and turned dark and dirty-looking. Her green eyes darkened as well, turning a sickening mud-brown shade. They became hazy and cold, too. Amanda cringed slightly, for this was the Turok Han's most _beautiful_ female.

She would hate to see their ugliest.

"After all, Aizen-sama's plan is sure-fire." Her voice was high, and filled with malice. It almost made Amanda throw up from her fear and uneasiness. The brunette Demon nodded warily as Ritsuko kept laughing to herself. The Brachen slowly lay down, and closed her eyes.

She didn't fall asleep for a long time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Part Two: Myself; Yourself**

**Mitsuki's POV**

"I was a fool, Karin. A fool to actually believe that I was safe. No matter where I am, no matter who I'm with, I will _always_ be a step away from death."

Karin sighed heavily, but still managed to hold a smile. "You're right about that, Mitsuki-san. But do not worry yourself, Hitsugaya will help you no matter what. He's like your brother, you know. He would do _anything_ to protect you.

I glared at the floor below me. "He would. But he could never, in a million years hope to stop Aizen. He is too powerful, too wise." I stood up from my place on the couch. "Aizen posses enough power to wipe any and every trace of human blood off this world. Aizen... has arrived, here, in Karakura, no?" I had sensed his presence less than a week ago.

Karin was silent. Finally, she sighed heavily, nodding. "Yes. Do you wish to start a new world?*"

I nodded, barely thinking. I had the power. I had the will. I could start over... in a new reality. I had pure, Han blood running through my veins, mixing viciously with whatever was left of my Human half. I was purely... Ancient. Purely spiritual. A being that existed among few.

"I wish it more than anything, but I will not. Rukia is happy, despite the war. She'll be a mother, soon. You are happy here, with Hitsugaya. Matsumoto is..." _Matsumoto will die by the end of the year,_ I reminded myself, pausing suddenly. "Just Matsumoto."

We laughed at that. "You have a very compassionate soul, Kuchiki-kun." Karin managed through laughs. "That is rare for Vampires, even if they _are_ hybrids." I looked out the window, the first traces of December showing in the form of falling snow.

"I guess I'm just special, ne, Kurosaki-chan?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Mikoto's POV**

Inoue-san and auntie Rukia always ask me, "Mikoto, sweetheart, do you feel like you've been forced to grow up too fast?" Truthfully, I'm getting sick of hearing that. It's just... infuriating, having to hear that meaningless sentence day after day. I always answer back, in a squeaky child-like voice, "No, of course not!"

I'm lying, and I think they know it, too. But they don't push me. They just answer me back with an "Oh, okay," or "That's great, Miki.".

I _do_ feel like I'm growing up too fast. I'm seven. I feel wiser, though... around the age of fifty, maybe. But I'm merely seven. And I've already killed. Okay, sure, it was just a stupid bird I hit when I was with Ukitake doing target practice with my bow and arrow, but it was still something. Something that could once fly, eat, drink, and breathe.

And I took that all away with one accidental strike. I had been aiming for the branch. I didn't even see the nest until the bird was dead. It had once been a royal blue color, with a dark black beak. It had a sky blue belly, stained crimson from its blood. I wondered, just briefly, if it had kids. If there were eggs or even baby blue jays in that nest.

My heart clenches at the thought of those poor little babies, starving to death or being eaten by some stray cat, all because _I _took away their mother. I hadn't cried when I saw the bird, no, I cried too much in my life, and I had thought I cried myself out when grandfather was admitted to Kyoto's psych ward. Why should I start again? Ukitake had quickly covered it up with leaves, and I felt something in my stomach. Empathy? Pity? Something else? I couldn't tell.

All I knew was, I changed, inside and a little bit outside, when Ukitake covered up the blue jay, and led me out of the training fields.

I had changed.

How, though, I did not know.

"You have good aim, Mikoto. You'll be a strong Slayer someday." Ukitake smiled, albeit sadly, ruffling my hair. It was in that one moment I understood.

It had not been an accident.

I intentionally shot that bird, because I loved the smell, the look, the _feel_ of blood.

I had ripped its wings off, just to watch it fall, just to hear the crack of its small head against the ground.

I had killed it, for amusement.

For _myself_.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**December 12, 1944**

"Even angels fall from Grace." Yoruichi murmured ruefully. "How many more days, Kisuke? How many more until the Eclipse?" She looked at the white moon, which shown brightly overhead, contrasting greatly with the dark night sky. Kisuke shook his head, handing her a cup of tea. "About a week, tops."

Yoruichi clicked her tongue. "I see."

The two were silent for a long while.

"When I die, I'll miss you so much, Shihoin." Kisuke murmured, the ghost of a smile tugging on his lips.

Yoruichi laughed humorlessly. "And I, you, Urahara."

And then, all was silent.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Only seven more days..." Sakura sighed as she covered a sleeping Ichigo with a green, wool blanket. Karin was staying at Toshirou's again. Senna had yet to be seen. Sakura smiled as she looked at her 'big brother Ichi's' sleeping form.

He looked so peaceful.

The demon looked outside. The moon was waning, yet again. Soon, it would be gone.

And she would be dead.

Sakura sighed once more, from exhaustion. _I should enjoy this peace while it lasts. I should enjoy the feeling of the people I love being here, with me._ She swallowed the lump in her throat, and slowly kissed Ichigo's forehead like a mother or sister would, a gesture she had done quite often to show she was proud of him, or when he needed comfort.

But this time, it represented an early goodbye.

"I will be gone, by this time next week." She looked at the moon with blank, stoic, and cold eyes. Her voice had lost its breeziness, and had been replaced with the iciness of a blizzard, and the wise tone of a mountain sage. "And you, Kurosaki Ichigo, will be all alone."

She started to pace around.

"Senna will be killed. Karin will wed Hitsugaya-kun. I will be long dead. And Rukia Kuchiki... will no longer represent this world." Her voice was monotone.

"Will you even remember us, Ichigo?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Underworld**

"Momo, it's time." Aizen grinned sinisterly.

The Hinamori laughed, clapping her hands together. "Finally! Oh, Aizen-sama! Your dream! It is finally coming true!" Aizen nodded. "It is. After so many years, it _is_ coming true. I have one last, very important job for you, Momo. Now, as you well know, there are people who appose this dream of mine... _ours_." He turned to look at her.

Momo stood straight, waiting for orders.

"I need you to kill Toshirou Hitsugaya."

Momo suddenly felt her heart pang.

She blinked.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Five days later, December 17, 1944  
8:01 AM**

"Mitsuki."

Mitsuki blinked. "Rukia? Rukia... oh my,"

"God?" Rukia finished her sister in law's sentence. "I didn't know Vampires had them." She spat. "All I know is that..." She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening.

Mitsuki took a step forward, wondering what was happening, and then she saw it.

The small pool of liquid at Rukia's feet.

"Damn it!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Meanwhile...**

Hitsugaya was walking aimlessly around Karakura Town, Karin at his side. Suddenly, a small giggle was heard.

"Hitsugaya-san! Kurosaki-chan! Over here!"

The couple turned, and Karin looked oddly at Toshirou, who gasped. "H-Hinamori?" He stuttered, stepping forward. Karin had a look of confusion etched across her features. "Hinamori? As in Momo Hinamori? As in your ex- fiancé Momo Hinamori?!"

Momo stood, clutching an iron katana tightly in her hands. "I can't tell you how long I've waited for this day," She growled as she lunged forward, drawing the sword. Hitsugaya ducked quickly, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"Come, Hyourinmaru*!" Hitsugaya called, holding up his hand, and then an ice-blue sword materialized in his hand.

"Shirou!" Karin called desperately at her lover. The white-haired vampire looked over his shoulder, a warning look in his now blood-red eyes. "GO! This is _my_ battle, Karin! Alert your brother, Sakura, and the Slayers!"

Karin didn't know what it was, but something in his eyes made her listen. She ran off in the other direction.

"The war has begun."

Momo smirked.

Hitsugaya growled.

Swords clashed.

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**Next chapter: _Thou Shall Not Fade_**

*** A command that vampires (usually Turok-Han descendents) use to call their swords. Their swords are generally there Zanpakto, as they are part of the vampire's hearts.**

**Pretty long, ne? The next chap's gonna b pretty short, tho. Sorry, but writer's block is eating away at my brain slowly, ever so slowly...**

**Anyways, please review and tell me ALL about it!**

**-TMU (Gawd I miss saying that!)**


	14. Thou Shall Not Fade

**I don't own Bleach, blah, blah,**** blah****...**

**Please enjoy!**

**Chapter fifteen...**

**Warning! CHARACTER DEATHS! Okay, I am getting PMs and Reviews that say there's not much IchiRuki. I know that, and I WILL fix it. There is TONS of IchiRuki in the next final chapters. But we're focusing a bit on Hitsugaya, Mitsuki, Rika (Ichigo and Rukia's daughter) and the person from the Unknown POV this chap.**

**P.S. You guys have been getting more IchiRuki than you think.**

**P.S.S. SLIGHT Fangirlisms!! YAY!!!!**

**P.S.S.S. SLIGHT (If any) Hisagi x OC**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Thou Shall Not Fade**

**Part I: Memories of a Promise**

Sakura stared silently at the brother and sister, who were currently contemplating on how to handle the situation.

"I say we go to Karakura Slayer HQ. Mitsuki-san is there; she'll get the other's to help." Karin suggested. Ichigo nodded. "Maybe. And maybe Rukia will put in a good word for us." The orange haired vampire turned to Sakura. "Saku, are you coming?"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her daze. "Um... no, I don't think so. Go one without me." She looked at them with sad eyes. The twenty-year old looking demon sighed when they left. Someone was coming. She could feel it. This would be her last day.

"Life is so difficult sometimes, yet there are some who still press on. One of those people, answer this question..." She paused, watching as the front door was banged on, high-pitched, demonic shouts coming from the outside.

"Where do you go, when you're gone?"

--------------------------------------------------------

"So this ain't some false alarm, right? She's seriously going into labor?" Mitsuki looked at Unohana seriously. The doctor nodded. "She is. She's about three weeks premature, but the child seems healthy enough."

Mitsuki nodded, the ghost of a relieved smile tugging forcefully at her lips. "That's good." Suddenly, a flash of light shone from behind her eyes, blocking her vision momentarily. A vision.

A powerful one.

_Byakuya stood, no less than three feet away. This __**couldn't possibly**__ be the future, nor was it the past._

"_Bya-kun?" Even after twenty-three years, she could remember him perfectly. His midnight hair. Those cold, yet still loving gray-blue eyes, that perma-frown that never seemed to leave his face, and his icy demeanor._

_He nodded his face passive. "You are being called, sister. By the Council of Elders."_

_Mitsuki blinked twice. "Council of Elders? What's... hey?!" Suddenly, the world around her, the pure, boring, white world she and Byakuya were once in, changing into something that looked strangely like... a courtroom._

_In front of her were five beings, a Demon, Scourge, and a Hunter, two other humans (she could smell their blood), and one vampire. She almost immediately recognized the vampire. It wasn't Rukia, but someone who looked so much like her. Mitsuki recognized her from the wedding picture in Rukia's room._

"_H-Hisana?" Mitsuki stuttered. The woman regarded Mitsuki warmly. "Good evening, nee-san." _

_Suddenly, the Scourge woman scowled and began talking. "Hisana-san, please, stop it! The last thing this... __**half-breed**__ needs is coddling."_

_The Hunter, a male, spoke up next. "Sage, please, I highly doubt calling this beautiful young Vampire," He smiled at Mitsuki, "'Nee-san' is considered 'coddling'." He chuckled. Mitsuki was twitching. Why the hell did he look so..._

_Familiar?_

_One of the humans, a woman who looked no older than thirty, nodded her head._

"_So true. Sage, please refrain from..."_

"_I don't have to __**refrain**__ from anything, you __**bitch**__! You wretched humans are almost as bad as the half-breeds." She scoffed, and glared at the hybrid in front of her. "You better hope you're powerful, Kuchiki."_

"_W-why am I here?" Said 'hybrid' managed to stutter._

_The second human, an old aged man with a long white beard and many wrinkles, remained stone-faced. Mitsuki recognized him as head of the Slayer Council, Head Captain Yamamoto. "You'll see." _

"_What? What will I __**see**__, exactly? This is just so..." Mitsuki was frustrated, and she was shouting._

_The Scourge, Sage, spoke up once more. "Don't you __**dare**__ oppose us! You wretched little half-breed, just because your father and your brother was a damned human,"_

"_**Hey!**__" Mitsuki snapped, glaring at the woman. Now, the entire room was in an uproar._

_Yamamoto slammed his hand against the large desk. "ENOUGH!"_ _Everyone automatically shut up._

_And something, in Mitsuki's gut, told her the next few days would __**not**__ be pretty._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**With Hitsugaya...**

"Momo, stop this, I don't want to hurt you."

But she seemed to want to hurt _him_.

_Badly_.

She lunged forward again, and he dodged, Hinamori's blade, Tobiume, slicing his cheek. Hitsugaya skid to a halt, raising Hyourinmaru above his head. A cloud of mist radiated from the silver blade, covering the entirety of the street.

Momo looked around frantically, looking for her opponent. "Damn..."

"This is gonna take a while."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Ichigo's Place...**

Karin sunk slowly to her knees. She had come back to her brother's home because she had left her key there.

She wished she hadn't.

"Saku..." Her breath caught in her throat, and she covered her mouth and her nose with her hands, trying desperately to block out the foul stench of blood. It was the first time since she became immortal that Karin was ever truly revolted by the sight of the scarlet-colored substance.

There, lying in a pool of dark red (almost black) Brachen blood was Sakura. Her eyes were blank, unseeing, and hazy. Her mouth was open, almost as if she was screaming. She had one large 'wound', two, deep bite marks on the side of her neck, which still had the demon's mythical blood pouring out.

Karin noticed, almost immediately, that there was not as much blood as there should have been. Most of it was pooled around her head and neck, but below that was nearly spotless, aside from the remnants of what looked like wiped-up blood.

Kurosaki Karin knew, from experience, that Brachen blood was highly valued in the dark market, for its 'healing properties'.

Healing properties her ass. The more sadistic vampires just loved the taste of it.

Her fists clenched. It was like Yuzu's death all over again.

Oh, yes. There would be _hell_ to pay.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**With Ichigo...**

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san. We cannot allow you to see Rukia-san at the moment." Unohana spoke sternly, looking at the vampire with somewhat motherly eyes, although finality was hidden behind them.

Ichigo huffed through grit teeth. "Mitsuki, then?"

"I don't see why not..." Unohana looked off to the side, and into the room where she had left the former Slayer. "Mitsuki-chan?" She nudged the girl's shoulder, causing her to slump forward, her body limp.

"She's sleeping?" Ichigo questioned.

Unohana shook her head, taking the hybrid's chin in her hand and lifting her head up to meet her gaze. Mitsuki's dark gray orbs had turned languid, dark, and hazy. They were barely open, and she was mumbling softly. "She seems to have gone into a trance."

Suddenly, the Kuchiki blinked rapidly, her breathing quickening. She sucked in a ragged breath, her head snapping up.

"Where's Rukia?!"

Unohana blinked. "Excuse me?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Back With Hitsugaya...**

"Hah!" Hinamori cried, effectively slicing one of Hitsugaya's sleeves off, and hacking thoroughly into his arm.

"Damn..." Toshirou cursed, clutching Hyourinmaru tighter. He couldn't keep dodging her attacks forever. So, deciding to do the alternative, he sighed. "I honestly didn't want to have to do this." He whispered, pointing his blade at Hinamori's heart.

"Daiguren, Hyourinmaru!"

All Momo could see after he shouted that, was white. A pure, white world.

It was snowing.

"To... Shirou?" He was holding her, tightly.

"I loved you. Goodbye..."

He bit back a dry sob as she faded into nothingness, as all dying vampires do.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Toshirou!" Karin cried as Hitsugaya slumped in front of what was left of Hinamori's crumpled, bloodied form. She caught him just before his knees hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" She looked at him with fearful eyes, hugging him tightly.

He nodded numbly, Daiguren really drained his strength.

"Yeah," he peered over at Momo's lifeless form. "Just peachy."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We _have_ to get her out of here, Unohana-san! _Please,_ if we don't, they'll get her, I'm positive!" Mitsuki clutched the doctor's white lab coat tightly, almost in tears. "I'm _begging_, please... please..." Ichigo was long gone; having left to try to find Aizen.

Unohana sighed heavily. "She's in labor... it will be difficult, moving her in this state..." She looked at her subordinate's tear-filled eyes. "But, if it's for the safety of the world."

"Thank you," Mitsuki grinned, albeit sadly. "Where is Kurosaki-kun?"

"Ichigo-san? I think he left a while ago, something about killing Aizen."

_Aizen Sosuke is long dead._ Dianne's voice echoed. _He died the moment Rukia Kuchiki went into labor. You see, this is what he was trying to avoid. The birth of Rika Kurosaki. She is the light in his world of darkness, and he wanted to stop her, for, if she grew up, she would, undoubtedly, be stronger than Aizen himself._

'_What?' _Mitsuki thought incredulously.

_Yes. And I can already feel it... even though he is dead, even though his minions, Ichimaru, Hinamori, even Grimmjow are reduced to ash, Rika is fading. Her existence is waning. And her mother, Rukia Kuchiki, __**will**__, undoubtedly, die._

She had to concentrate, but Mitsuki could feel it, too. The raw power that was once radiating from Rukia's room, straight across the hall, was barely flickering.

The fire was dying out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**With Ichigo...**

_Aizen is dead._

"Dad?" Ichigo called out, wondering if he was hallucinating. It hadn't been the first time. "Dad!" He called out once more, just to be sure. That voice sounded so much like him.

_Senna is dead._

Ichigo knew he wasn't hearing things. It was, without a doubt, _Isshin Kurosaki's _voice.

_You're daughter and Rukia are about to die._

Ichigo froze. Daughter? He didn't have a daughter... and Rukia? Where _was_ she?!

Ichigo didn't know what was going on. He just knew he had to get to her.

And _fast._

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Part II: Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word**

**Unknown POV**

**2009**

I love you.

That's what I think. Every night before bed, I whisper that. I can just imagine his face, shocked, yet euphorically happy. It was such a heart warming feeling, having him wrap his strong arms around my waist, holding me close.

I loved every second of it.

"_I have to go. I can't stay... here, anymore. I no longer belong here. Just... be happy." I sighed, and pressed a chaste kiss to his luscious lips. He was dazed, and his eyes were wide. I made for the door, but he caught my wrist._

"_Get over here, damn it," He growled, pulling me into his embrace. My breath caught in my throat. His mouth found mine, and we kissed sweetly. My eyelids fluttered closed, and my heart beat sped up. "I love you," I murmured when we parted, only to kiss again. Only, after I said that, he was more desperate, needier._

_Like he would die without me._

"_I'm sorry," I choked out when we parted for the second time. "Don't be," He whispered back, and once again, kissed me. 'I am __**so**__ sorry,' I thought, the arms around his neck tightening. "I'll forgive you. I'll __**always**__ forgive you." He smirked, embracing me tighter._

_It was like that dream I had. The difference?_

_I wasn't dying._

_I was leaving._

**End POV**

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**December 19, 1944  
1:39 AM**

"Hair... black. Eyes... amber. Name...?" Isane, the nurse, looked expectantly at Rukia.

The new mother cleared her throat. "Rika... Rika Kuchiki." She looked at the sleeping baby girl in the crib next to her. Isane quickly scribbled down the name, a sweet smile on her face.

"Thank you," she grinned, walking out.

"_Grew up in a small town, and when the rain would fall down, I'd just stare out my window... Dreaming of a 'could-be' and if I'd end up happy, I would pray... I would pray..."_

Still humming, Rukia stood, and quickly picked up the baby girl. She needed to get out of there... _fast_.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, thinking of all the people she was leaving behind.

Inoue.

Mikoto.

Yoruichi.

Urahara.

...Ichigo.

"Forgive me."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She panted heavily as the buxom strawberry blond dropped to the ground, dead. Her life was a small price to pay for the safety of the future.

Gin would have tracked her down by blood, and then Rika would have been killed. Gin _hadn't_ been killed, like Dianne said. He was still out there, wounded, but powerful. The killer dropped to her knees and began to cry, although she made no sound.

"Is this truly what the world has come to...?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rukia."

The ebony-haired woman turned slowly, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Orihime, listen, I just... huh?" The ebony-haired Slayer was in shock as her auburn haired best friend hugged her tightly, carefully avoiding crushing the sleeping Rika. "Inoue?"

As she pulled back, Inoue smiled. "I didn't understand at first. Why you were acting so odd... why it seemed like you were pushing away help. Even Mikoto's been depressed. And... We'll both be unhappy once you're gone. But we'll pull through, so go for it!" She grinned, albeit sadly, and grasped her best friend's shoulder.

Rukia, blinking back tears, nodded vigorously. "Right! Thanks... Orihime."

"Don't mention it!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia honestly didn't know how it happened. One moment, she was running as fast as she could to Karakura's train station, and now here she was, on the ground, gasping and bleeding.

The baby was safe, still sleeping.

"_Rukia!" _She faintly heard a worried voice.

_Your dreams are coming true, _Mitsuki thought to herself. _Your world is ending._

_Indefinitely._

"Oh, my God..." The hybrid gasped, looking at the bloodied form of her sister-in-law. So _she_ was the unknown woman from her vision, so many months ago.

"Come on, Rukia! You're a fighter, a survivor, how can you do this! Don't go... think about Ichigo, more importantly, think of your daughter, how am _I _going to explain to her that her mother's never coming back when I tuck her in at night, and she says, 'Why is mom gone?'" Mitsuki was desperate.

Rukia, panting, brought the child, Mitsuki's niece, Rika, into view. "J-just take the child and run." Rika was placed in Mitsuki's hands, the child giggling softly.

"So she's..."

_Ichigo's child._

"Yes. Please, don't do anything to him... he's clueless." She chuckled darkly, shaking her head. Suddenly, Mitsuki gasped, and grabbed Rukia's arm. "Get _up_, we have to go, come on, please..."

"Leave me be..." She whispered, choking lightly on her words.

Mitsuki's head shot up. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I'll die, no matter what. Just leave here, knowing that my only regret is..."

"Having my daughter grow up without her mother." Mitsuki finished for her, and nodded. "I understand." She started running, and Rukia felt the evil presence behind her.

Mitsuki ran as fast as she could, not once looking back. "Hitsugaya!" She yelped when she ran into him. She was too focused on saving Rukia and the baby. "Take her. Stay here." Was all she instructed the white haired man, and then she ran back.

Hitsugaya smiled.

She had managed, yet again, to alter destiny.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Later on...**

"Hisana... she's alive?" Rukia stared in shock at Mitsuki.

The hybrid laughed sheepishly. "More or less. She's a Vampire." They were in Kyoto, at Hitsugaya's second estate. Mitsuki was rocking Rika back and forth, gently lulling the baby into sleep. Hitsugaya was asleep on the couch, Karin's head on his chest. Rukia was resting on a rocking chair, sipping tea.

"Byakuya... I'm not so sure about him. Hisana said he was a ghost, traveling between the worlds." She shrugged.

Something seemed to dawn on Rukia. "Wait... what about Mikoto? What about Inoue, Yoruichi, and Urahara? Kiyone and Sentaro? Ukitake-sensei..." She stopped as she saw Mitsuki's head drop, tears dripping down.

"They're dead... I think. I know for a fact Yoruichi, Kisuke, Jyuushiro, Kiyone, and those guys are gone... but, maybe, just maybe, Miki..." She paused. "It's unlikely, but I think Mikoto survived," She tried to smile reassuringly at Rukia, and failed miserably.

Rukia had a part-way shocked, part-way depressed, and part-way worried look on her face. "We'll look for her tomorrow." Karin suggested from her position on the couch. Hitsugaya was also awake. Mitsuki and Rukia looked up at the black-haired vampire. "The Turok-Han are long dead. Ichi-Nii took care of 'em." She smirked. "It's gonna be _years_ before they're re-awakened. They'll be dead until another Aizen shows up."

They were silent after that. Mitsuki felt a sudden heat in her heart, crawling up her throat. "Oh, no..." Hitsugaya looked at her worriedly.

"What's the matter?"

She gulped. "Take the baby." She said, quickly handing the vampire the child. Rukia raised a brow. "Mi, what's _wrong_?"

The hybrid was silent. Then...

"Mitsuki!"

All was black.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Mitsuki looked up slowly, at the angered faces of the Council._

_"Um... hello, your greatnesses..." Her worried gray eyes drifted from one Elder to another, finally stopping on Hisana, looking at her with a pleading face. The Vampire elder just shook her head, giving her a look that just said, "I'm sorry"._

_"Uh... would now be a good time to start begging for mercy?"_

_The Hunter from earlier, smiled condescendingly at her. "Now, Mitsuki..."_

_"No," Sage spoke up in her shrill, evil voice. "Begging for mercy is exactly what she should be doing." She looked at the hybrid with malice-filled eyes. "We gave you those visions for a reason. We wanted you to help us make the future a better place. A place with no more war, and no more beings like Sosuke Aizen."_

_Mitsuki scoffed. "Well, excuse **me**, if I wanted to save the people I love..."_

_"And you did **such** a good job with that!" Sage growled. "**Everyone** is dead. You are such an **imbecile**! You traded the lives of a town full of people, in exchange for a baby who probably won't make it to adulthood! You are such a..."_

_"Sage, enough." Hisana spoke calmly, her face passive. "Mitsuki truly didn't know what she was thinking. She thought, because she knew these things, she could save her friends and family. She was just..." She hesitated. "Wrong."_

_"I'll make a proposal." The Hunter, whose name is revealed as Hisagi (Mitsuki finally remembered him from the train station), spoke. "I am stepping down from the council later this month, and I have no children." He smiled at Mitsuki, his handsome features more profound. "My family is all dead, with the exception of my brother, Hidan. I shudder to think about what would happen if he was given such power. How about Mi take the role of second seat?"_

_Yamamoto and the other human, whose name was Piper, nodded in agreement._

_Hisana smiled warmly at her in law, a gesture that spoke volumes of her current emotion. She was happy. For Hisana, although she hid it well, was worried. With the council, you either lived or you didn't._

_Sage sputtered. "E-excuse me?! Hisagi, it's already bad enough **humans** are on this council, now you want a **half-breed brat**?!" She really had tolerated Hisagi's mortality for one reason and one reason only._

_He was hot._

_She looked at Hisagi like he had grown two heads._

_The Hunter shrugged. "No one else seems to have a problem with it. And personally, I think she's very... unique." He smiled at Mitsuki, who grinned, blushing._

_"Fine," Sage glared at the hybrid. "But she does know the qualifications you have to have to be a member of the council, right?"_

_Mitsuki was lost. "Qualifications?"_

_Sage grinned evilly. This would be **so much fun.**_

_"Mitsuki," Hisana sighed, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering rapidly. "If you are not **fully** human, you have to..."_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Outside...**

Hitsugaya's head shot up. No... No, this _couldn't_ be happening! It just _couldn't_!

Mitsuki's life force had just faded.

She wasn't breathing.

He could no longer smell fresh blood being formulated inside her.

She was...

"Dead." Rukia breathed. Rika had begun crying the second her mother uttered that word.

'Dead'.

"She has joined the Council." Karin sighed nonchalantly. "She will no longer be with us physically, but I'm sure she'll be watching us from the Elder's quarters." Suddenly, her ears perked up. She sighed, and looked at Rukia with a somewhat bored expression. You could tell she was sleepy.

"My brother's here."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Senna growled lowly. She was almost dead.

"GIN!" She screeched with a crazed look in her eyes. "Ichimaru, you bastard! You _promised_." The silver-haired snake man shrugged.

"I _promised_ nothing." He grinned maliciously, and stepped on Senna's back. "All I said was _I'd try_." And then, he revealed a gun he had stolen from Karakura HQ.

"GIN!" Senna gasped.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Rukia's POV**

Ichigo. Is. Coming.

Here?!

"Oh, my God. Hitsugaya, here, take Rika, and hide her. Ichigo _can't_ see her!" Reiko's words rang in my head _over_ and _over_.

"_This baby... this beautiful baby girl... will become strong... and she will live, if, and only if," She paused, "you don't tell Ichigo."_

"Get her _away_ from here!" Karin stood in shock as I continued my rant. "Rukia, you really don't think Ichigo would... you know, _kill_ Rika, do you? I mean, of course he's murdered, but he would _never_, in a _million_ years harm a child. _Especially _his own!"

I know he wouldn't. But Reiko was serious when she told me about that. I wouldn't take any chances.

_Rukia. _Reiko's voice was calling me.

_Rukia. You'll leave soon._

I didn't know what she meant. But at the moment, I seriously didn't care. All I cared about was getting Rika _out of there_. Hitsugaya was soon running back, and he panted, saying, "Rika's in the crib set up in the attic. No one would go up there."

"What is going _on_?" Karin cried, frustrated. I looked at her, pacing frantically. "I'll tell you later."

The door opened, and I smiled, albeit sadly.

"Hey, Ichigo."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Next Chapter: **_**No Regrets**_

**I am SO evil... *Insert evil laughter***

**...Sorry 'bout that. Okay, so yeah. There's gonna be a little time skip, about... six months into the future because seriously, if I continue it from here, the next chapter will be VERY short and VERY awkward. Also, I'm sorry for the late update. Writer's Block is very unpleasant, as I'm sure most of you know.**

**-TMU**


	15. Author's Note 2

**I'm sorry, guys!**

**I know I promised I'd continue this, but I just can't. School's being a real bitch, and writer's block is just torturing me. I'm especially sorry to all the loyal readers/reviewers who have stuck with this story since the beginning.**

**As of now, 'Angel' is discontinued until further notice.**

**Once again, I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!!!!!**


	16. Epilogue: Strange Angels

**I don't own anything used in this fan fiction.**

**Yay! Are you people happy I'm back!? Sorry for the wait, my computer crashed, I had to get a new one, my files were lost, and it was just awful.**

**NOTE: Everything from now on is in Rukia's POV, in the year 2009, unless I say otherwise. 1944 is done and over, although there's going to be a lot of flashbacks!  
Flashbacks will be in third person.**

**Epilogue: Strange ANGELS**

* * *

I mention you when I say my prayers  
I wrap you around all of my thoughts  
Boy, you're my temporary high  
I wish that when I wake up you're there  
To wrap your arms around me for real and tell me you'll stay by side  
Clouds filled with stars cover the skies  
And I hope it rains  
You're the perfect lullaby  
What kind of dream is this?

-Sweet Dreams

* * *

**2009**

They say that first loves always stay in your heart. That you can never move on from that one person. That isn't exactly a lie, but it certainly isn't true, either.

I know from personal experience. Now, that I'm nearly… what? Eighty, ninety years old? I've lost track through the years. All I know is that I can never live happily with my new boyfriend, Jason Barry, a lawyer from Louisville.

He had come here about three years ago, wanting to be away from America. He doesn't know my real age. He thinks I'm a young, successful, twenty-eight year old wannabe dancer.

I'll have to leave the poor sap before I 'turn thirty'. He's nice, that's for sure, and I'm sure we could have been a great match, under different circumstances. But he's just too… perfect. The kind of guy Internet dating websites like Perfect Match or eHarmony would match you up with.

We had met in a bar, as cliché as it seems. It was… the _anniversary_, and thought that drinking my troubles away would be the easiest option.

He had, for the first time in God knows how long, made me laugh, although bitterly. I had decided I lived alone for far too long, and, to his joy, dated him. Sooner or later, like all human men did, he would ask me to marry him.

Rukia Barry. It didn't fit. It wasn't… _me_.

Rukia Kuchiki. Better, much better, but it reminds me too much of my lonely days.

Rukia Kurosaki. That name always brings a bittersweet smile to my face. I loved him. I still do.

I will, forever.

---

Mitsuki was doing much better than I was, and so were Toshirou and Karin. Mitsuki had, as Hitsugaya always said, altered destiny, and now, instead of a Kyoto mental institution, she was living in Manchester with her new boyfriend, Dimitri Meyers.

Dimitri had lived in London all his life, meeting Mitsuki on her recent trip there. She had left looking for Demons, and had stayed with a new beau up in Manchester.

I really don't think Mitsuki ever got over one dude she met while on the Council. His name was… Hisagi, I think. He was a Hunter. _They_ would be together, if it weren't for Head General Yamamoto. Slayers and Hunters being together were almost as bad as a Vampire and a Slayer.

So, at least she could fine _some_ happiness with a human.

She'll break it off sooner or later. With her never-aging appearance, she couldn't keep using the 'Skin Genesis Cream' excuse anymore.

Yup. Within the next year, probably, she'll be back in Japan, maybe back to the Council Elders.

Karin and Hitsugaya were terrific, as always. They already have their first kid. They've been married for well over sixty years, but are just now getting a baby. In Immortal years, that's pretty short, really.

It's a cute, bright blue-eyed baby girl. They named her Hope. I love that name. It just spells out the future for our kind. Really, all Vampires are riding on it.

'Hope'.

Karin was really jittery the last time I saw her, about a month ago. Maybe they're expecting another, and she wasn't sure, yet. I never call them. I wouldn't know.

Ichigo… Ichigo Kurosaki. I don't know where he is. After… after the war, after he found me, he left. I think Karin told me he moved to Las Vegas, I think.

I think Mitsuki's talked to him once, when she went up to Nevada on a call. The Slayer Union up in America had to split their forces, due to some whacko occurrence in Manhattan. I think a harbor was overrun with Shifter Demons.

That was twenty years ago.

Apparently, he owned a _huge_ string of American hospitals.

I was a Slayer in Kyoto.

What very different lives my lover and I lead.

---

Rika… my sweet daughter, Rika. She's sixty-five, with the appearance of a ten year old.

Jason knows nothing about her. As far as he knows, he's the first man I've ever been with.

…Ever.

She lives in Manchester with Mitsuki. Dimitri adores her. Mitsuki uses the excuse 'goddaughter' all the time. If Dimitri were only immortal, then maybe Rika could have a _real_ family, if just once.

I'd wish nothing more.

I'm still looking for Mikoto. The Slayers are still searching, but there are no leads. I refuse to believe she's dead. I won't accept the possibility until a body is discovered.

_Until a body is discovered…_

Dianne lives in San Francisco, still as young as ever. She's got men groveling at her feet all the time. She's the Megan Fox of San Fran.

And me? I just want to go back. I want to have everyone back.

----------------

**Manchester, England**

"Come on, Mi… do you seriously have to go?" Dimitri whined. Mitsuki smiled softly and walked up to him, brushing some dirty blond hair out of his face. His blue eyes shimmered with sadness.

"I'm sorry, hon, the… _office_, needs me. You can get me anytime, anywhere, on my Blackberry. I'll be back in a couple days." She was heading to Florida. The Miami division needed some help, and the Tampa, Palm Beach, Orlando, Georgia and Alabama divisions were already flooded with work, as were the other states and cities. The U.S had been targeted a lot, lately.

Dimitri just thought it was another business trip.

"But what about Rika?" He asked, using another approach. "She was really looking forward to the zoo. Last night you got her all hyped up over the tigers, and the petting zoo's rabbits."

Mitsuki smiled ruefully. "I know. But can you take her? She loves you, and you two hardly spend any time together anymore. Now, I got to go." She kissed his cheek, right before her ringtone buzzed. Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood played, and she jumped, startled.

Dimitri chuckled.

Mitsuki flipped out her Blackberry Storm.

"Yeah? Oh, hey, Angela. Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm on my way to the airport. No, I'm still in Manchester. I'll be there. I know, I'll call you when the plane lands. You still got another hour before Nicholas _has_ to be there. Okay, see you later."

"Bye." She said, kissing him on the lips this time. "Love you!" She called, leaving the bedroom.

Dimitri groaned.

--

"Bye, Rika." Mitsuki grinned, kissing the top of the young girl's head. "I love you. Dimitri's going to take you to the zoo, get ready!"

Rika looked at her painfully. "Is it another demon?" Mitsuki's grin dropped, and she sighed, putting down her Louis Vuitton suitcase. "Yes, sweetheart. It's a demon. Some Lizards. They won't be too hard to take out. I'll be back in a few days."

Rika considered this. "What about daddy? Didn't you say he helped us? Why can't he do this? I want you to stay." She pouted.

Mitsuki offered a smile. "Your father… only takes care of the demons and vampires in Boston. He doesn't worry so much about every going-on in Miami. I'll be back soon!"

Rika blinked.

"Alright."

* * *

**Kyoto, Japan**

"Jason. Jason!" I yelled, effectively getting his attention. He smiled warmly at me, like he always did. It bothered me. It was… _too nice_. Almost fake.

I missed Ichigo's half-assed smiles, his angry scowls, and his concerned, yet equally annoying quips and jokes.

I knew I had to break it off. _Now_. He would be crushed, but I could always move. Maybe back to Tokyo. Or… even Chicago. I love cold weather.

I sighed.

"We need to talk."

---------

**Miami, Florida**

"Um…"

"Yes, Angela?"

"Miss Warren, Mitsuki Kuchiki from the Kyoto division has just arrived."

Avery Warren, Lieutenant of the Miami division, raised a brown brow. The brunette's green eyes were clouded with confusion. _"Kyoto?_ I thought I called in for Slayers in Manchester."

Angela nodded, her blond hair bouncing with every movement of her head. "Y-you did, ma'am. She lives there. She's been going back and forth the past forty years."

"Ah, now I get it," Avery laughed. "So _she's _the half-vampire! Interesting… she's supposed to be one of the best."

Angela nodded. "Yes, she is. She is a Kuchiki, after all."

Avery snorted, fingering one of the pens on her desk. "Pfft. Please, my grandmother worked with her brother, Byakuya, for years until he fell in love with some stupid Tokyo girl." Her eyes turned cold. "He threw it _all_ away for that brat. The fame, the wealth, the glory that came with the Kuchiki name. If you ask me, the Kuchiki's are nothing more than selfish wannabe's."

Angela gulped. She knew better than to argue with Avery Warren, even if she strongly disagreed. She was a sucker when it came to love.

"Yeah, but if he loved her… wouldn't it be okay?"

Avery, once again, snorted. "That's just it, Angel. He didn't love her. He thought he did." She turned, facing the window. "Like I said, the Kuchiki's just…"

"The Kuchiki's just what, Ave?"

Avery stiffened, and Angela gasped. "Oh my God, Mitsuki!"

"Hey, O'Shea!" Mitsuki said, using Angela's surname. The two women hugged.

"I heard you talking 'bout my big bro, there, Ave. Don't judge a book by its cover! Not_ all_ Kuchiki's act like there's a stick up their ass! My brother was just special."

"Yeah… you most _certainly_ aren't your brother." Translation: _You're annoying, loud, and I just want to rip that stupid Gucci purse out of your hands and stuff it down your throat._

Mitsuki grinned. "Yeah, and you're _nothing_ like everyone says the Warrens are." Translation: _You're just bitter because you know the Warrens are weaklings and I'm smarter, stronger, and can take you out with half my body paralyzed._

"What do they _say_?" Avery asked, worry in her emerald eyes. Mitsuki snickered inwardly. "Oh, you know. That they're spineless, weak, and would rather save themselves than an innocent, civilian child."

Avery's teeth gritted together. "Oh, really, Kuchiki? Well, I'll tell you what-"

"O-kay!" Angela laughed nervously. "That's enough. How about I show you to your hotel, Mitsuki? Unfortunately, unlike the city, our division's fairly small, and we don't have housing, yet."

"That would be terrific! Bye, Warren!" She sang, leaving behind a seething Avery.

She roared.

"KUCHIKI!!"

* * *

**Miami Beach, Florida  
Albion, South Beach Hotel**

"Nice," Mitsuki smiled as she walked into the lobby.

"Ha," Angela laughed. "Glad you like it. One of our agents is around here somewhere… maybe you know him. He lived in Japan for a few years… oh, there he is! Mr. Kurosaki!"

Mitsuki almost fainted.

"_Ichigo_?!"

---------

"Oh, great. You two _do_ know each other. Now we can skip awkward introductions!"

Ichigo stayed calm, while Mitsuki stuttered and shook. "Hello, Ms. Kuchiki. I trust Toshirou, my sister, and… your in-law are well?"

Mitsuki looked away, scowling.

Ichigo chuckled softly, shaking his head._ Some things never change, now._

"I wouldn't know." Mitsuki finally said, growling. "Karin and Hitsugaya are still in Tokyo, and from what Rukia told me, they've got a daughter, now. They named her Hope. Rukia's in Kyoto, with her new _fiancée_." She sneered the word, and turned her blazing eyes on him.

It was an exaggeration, sure, but one little white lie won't hurt. "I haven't been in Japan for nearly ten years, Ichigo. But I assume they're all perfectly happy."

Ichigo had tensed at the word, fiancée. "Rukia… is getting married?"

Mitsuki nodded stiffly. "Yes, and she's beyond happy."

Angela was now genuinely confused. Mitsuki rolled her eyes. The similarities between Inoue Orihime and Angela O'Shea were just _too_ great.

"I see." Ichigo said quietly. "Give her my congratulations, when you talk to her again."

Mitsuki glared. "Oh, don't worry, I will."

"Well," Angela started again, "I just hope you two won't be like this forever. You've got to stick together, if you're going to work together!"

Mitsuki's eyes bulged.

Ichigo sighed heavily, preparing his poor ears for the explosion.

"Excuse _me_?"

Boom.

-------

"Listen, Mitsuki, I know you're mad…"

"Oh, I'm not mad. I am _furious_." They were seated on two cabana chairs beside the pool. Ichigo wore a purple tee shirt with the words 'nice vibe' written clearly on the front, and swim trunks.

Mitsuki wore a bikini top and a yellow skirt, her Prada sunglasses hiding her blue-gray eyes from the sun.

"How _dare_ Avery Warren do this to me? Just because her old, selfish, _bitch_ of a grandmother couldn't get my brother in the sac, she's had it out for me! You know, it can't _just_ be her grandmother… maybe she's got a thing for the Meyers, and she's mad because I'm dating Dimitri! I _did_ hear she stalked his brother when they went to the academy…"

Ichigo sighed. Even after sixty-some years, she still managed to get horribly sidetracked.

"So…" Mitsuki started once her rant was over, "Why are you here, working with the Slayers? I thought you lived in Nevada. Weren't you the owner of a huge Las Vegas hospital?"

He nodded. "Still am. But I heard rumors of a Kuchiki coming out here, to Miami. I just…"

"You just got the wrong _Kuchiki_, huh?" She whispered, looking sympathetically at him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped earlier."

He smiled. "It's fine. I can… understand."

"He's not her fiancé." She suddenly said, blatantly ignoring the screaming twelve year olds in the background.

"Huh?"

"He's just a boyfriend. And I don't even think she likes him like that." Mitsuki looked at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness.

"That's… good to know." He chuckled.

"Yeah." She wiped her brow, and glared at the sun. "You know, we're so lucky the old human myths were wrong about vampires and the sun, otherwise, we would be dead."

Ichigo laughed. "You're right. But, we _are_ more likely to get skin cancer. Wow… no one would ever guess you were nearly one hundred, by the way you look."

She scoffed. "Save it for Rukia, Kurosaki. Because, this time, you're not leaving before you kiss her _at least once_."

_But they did so much more than that,_ Mitsuki's inner voice chided. _They love each other so much. You remember the kiss, the tears, the long goodbye… he thought she was dead for so long. And, she had to leave, right after he found her._

Memories flashed through Mitsuki's subconscious.

An office, a balcony, a cracked doorway, promises and vows…

_Rukia stood, wiping away tears. "I can't stay. I can't…"_

_Ichigo stood, his eyes hurt._

"Mitsuki?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, what's the case, huh?"

Ichigo cleared his throat, pulling out a file. "You remember the Turok Han? Well, they've reproduced. With humans."

"_H-humans_?" She stuttered. "Gross."

"Yeah. And _they've_ reproduced with… hybrids, and normal vampires."

Mitsuki stopped breathing.

"It's more like a cult, than a breed. They're calling themselves… Angelus."

"Angelus is Latin for Angel," Mitsuki said blankly. "Angel… _Tenshi_…"

Urahara's words echoed.

"_Codename: Tenshi."_

"_Why angel?"_

"_Lately, that's all __**they've**__ been saying. Angel, angel, angel…"_

"They're rapidly multiplying…"

"It's the Winter War all over again…"

Ichigo just nodded.

"Oh, God… we've got to go… I'll call Toshirou, and Rukia, and Karin…"Mitsuki just kept rambling.

Ichigo shook his head. "No." He said sternly, his eyes turning that awful blood-shade. Compulsion. Something only the highest rank of Vampire could achieve.

It was then that Mitsuki realized how hard he had trained. How much he worked for.

But compulsion didn't need to convince her.

"Okay, I get it. It's too dangerous."

"Listen to me, Mitsuki. Rukia, Karin, Toshirou, and all the rest of them are _last resorts_. Are we clear? These… _things_ are part human. The Turok Han are _extinct_. They shouldn't be _that hard_ to kill. Although… it may feel like murder. These things can sometimes get _too human_. You can't hesitate. Run, kill, and run. That's the new philosophy."

"Alright. I get it."

"This is no dream. Do you remember what Sage, Hisana, and Hisagi told you? There's greater danger up ahead. And this is it."

"I got it."

* * *

**How do you like it? It's the end of Angel, for now. But seriously, you didn't think I'd just leave it here, did you? A whole different saga's up next!**

**Stay tuned…**

**Summary:  
And just when I thought my life couldn't get any more difficult, I learned the meaning of being 'shadow touched'. Sequel to Angel. IchiRuki. HitsuKarin.**

**Title: Shadows in the Light**

**Rating: M (To be safe!)**


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